Studies by the International Student Assessment Program (Pisa) have shown that the difference between high and low performing students in Finland has grown over time. The survey measures students’ performance in the fields of natural sciences, mathematics and reading skills.
By Johanna KaakinenAssociate Professor of Psychology at the University of Turku, the reason for this is that weaker students do worse, while high performing ones do just as well as before.
The proportion of young people with excellent reading skills, measured at 14.5 percent in 2018, had not changed much from 14.2 percent in 2009.
On the other hand, the proportion of poor readers had clearly increased. In 2009, 8.1 percent of all students achieved less than 2. In 2018, however, the figure had risen to 13.5 percent.
Pisa has set level 2 as the basis of literacy, where students can successfully understand, use, reflect and engage with written text. At this level, students demonstrate the skills needed to function effectively and productively as a student, employee, and citizen.
According to the Ministry of Education, this means that there are more and more young people in Finland who are not literate enough to study and participate in society.
Socio-economic background is clearly related to literacy
In 2018, the difference in students’ reading skills was the widest in the history of the Finnish Pisa studies.
The most recent Pisa study in 2018 showed that although the reading ability of 15-year-olds in Finland is still on average at a top level compared to other countries, socio-economic background is more clearly related to reading ability than ever before. History of Pisa’s explorations.
In Finland, the average difference in literacy scores between the highest and lowest socioeconomic quartiles was 79 points. This corresponds to a maximum of two years of study.
This result is because the scores of students in the lowest socioeconomic quartile have declined between 2009 and 2018, while the scores of students in the highest quartile have remained relatively unchanged.
Students’ socioeconomic background, measured by parents’ education, occupation, and household wealth, was associated with their reading performance in all Pisa testing countries. Young people from lower socio-economic backgrounds read books less often, if at all.
Literacy has weakened in the 21st century
The Board of Education also admits that students’ literacy level is different. As a result, some students are able to read long texts fluently by elementary school, while others still struggle to read it in high school.
According to the government, although the country’s average literacy rate is high, the level of competence also varies by age group. The literacy of young people in particular has weakened in the 21st century. According to the 2018 Pisa results, almost 14 percent of young people lack sufficient reading skills to cope with everyday situations.
The government therefore launched a national literacy initiative in 2021 to address differentiation and balance the effects of underlying factors. These include family background, learning difficulties, and time spent on leisure reading.
The 2021 Pisa examination had to be postponed to spring 2022 due to the Covid pandemic, and its results will be published in 2023.