Research by
Dundee University finds that pupils read relatively difficult books throughout
primary education before an "alarming" dip in standards at secondary
level.
By the age of 11, children are accessing
books aimed at pupils with a chronological reading age six months lower than
their own, with standards continuing to decline as pupils grow up. The study
found that pupils aged 14 to 16 were actually reading texts that were also
listed among the top titles for seven- to eight-year-olds such as The Twits by
Roald Dahl. Many older pupils – especially boys – also turned to non-fiction
books about sport, with Roy App’s biology of Wayne Rooney named in the top 20
most popular titles. But the report published by Renaissance Learning, the
education company, said that sporting titles were “not sufficiently challenging
for their level of ability”.
The study – based on a large-scale
analysis of the reading habits of 426,000 children in 2,000 UK schools – suggested
that primary teachers were more likely to push pupils towards challenging books
because of awareness of the importance of developing literacy skills at a young
age. But it is feared that reading takes a backward step in secondary education
because more time is spent focusing on other subjects.
Keith Topping, professor of
educational and social research at Dundee University, said: “There is a marked
downturn in the difficulty of books at secondary transfer and this does not
necessarily reflect a lack of ability to read more difficult texts. The results
seem to point to under challenge at either end of the spectrum, both for
struggling readers and high-ability readers.”
Researchers logged the difficulty
level of books using a system that scans texts for average sentence length, the
difficulty of words and the size of the particular title. Pupils were also
quizzed about their understanding of chosen books.
The study found that difficultly
level of books “tends to plateau” in the first year of secondary school. By the
time pupils hit the age of 12 standards “decline absolutely, which is
alarming”, the report said.
Question 1 (2 points) Indicate whether the following statements are true
or false and write down which part of the text justifies your answer.
a. “The Twist” by Roald Dahl is recommended for
seven-year-old children.
b. Older pupils prefer non-fiction books
c. No special attention is paid to reading in secondary
schools.
d. Secondary students are unable to read difficult
texts.
Question 2 (2 points) Answer the following questions in your own words.
a. What are the differences between an eleven-year-old
and a fifteen-year-old reader?
b. How were the books classified?
Question 3 (1.5 points) Find words or phrases in the text that
correspond in meaning to the words and definitions given.
a. to fall, to drop (paragraph 1)
b. proposed, intended (paragraph 2)
c. really (paragraph 2)
d. ability (paragraph 3)
e. ordinary, common (paragraph 5)
Question 4 (1.5 points) Complete the following sentences without
changing the meaning.
a. The report said sporting titles were “not
sufficiently challenging for their level of ability”.
Sporting titles…
b. Primary teachers were more likely to push pupils
towards challenging books because of awareness of the importance of developing
literacy skills at a young age.
Because primary teachers…
c. By the time pupils hit the age of 12 standards
“decline absolutely, which is alarming”, the report said.
The report said
that…
Question 5 (3 points) Write a short essay (120-150 words) on the
following topic:
“It is a
good idea to make pupils read novels at secondary school” do you agree with
this statement?
2. We
ought to invite Susan to the party.
