According to data from the latest Progress in International Reading Literacy Study (PIRLS), Spain is falling behind in reading comprehension levels.
None of the Spanish-speaking countries are among the top ten with the best reading comprehension levels and all are below the OECD average
A study led by Professor José Luis Arco Tirado of the UGR’s Department of Developmental and Educational Psychology, recently published in the Review of Educational Research, has highlighted the importance and necessity of implementing reading programmes that lead to a statistically significant improvement in reading comprehension levels in Spain. According to the data from the latest PIRLS reports, which evaluate progress in reading comprehension among primary school students, the results in Spain were much lower than expected.
The situation is no better in the other Spanish-speaking countries, none of which are in the top ten in reading comprehension and all of which are below the average of the standards set by the OECD.
Crucial learning for lifelong success
For the UGR professor, this situation poses a key challenge for the Spanish education system, since the development of reading skills is one of the most important basic learning skills in the early years of schooling. Mastery of these skills is closely linked to academic and professional success later in life.
However, there are notable differences in the level of achievement of these skills across countries. In the case of Spain, there are also alarming differences between the different regions, reflecting significant inequalities in access to quality education. In order to remedy this situation, the authors of the study point out that the first step is to identify which reading instruction programmes, among all the published studies, have demonstrated the greatest effectiveness in improving students’ reading performance. The researchers emphasise that «ideally, a second phase of this study would involve replacing the use of those programmes that have not been shown to be effective with those that have».
To filter, analyse and synthesise the results of the different studies, the researchers carried out a systematic review and meta-analysis, adopting rigorous international scientific standards in the criteria for the inclusion and exclusion of studies and in the statistical analyses carried out to ensure their validity and, therefore, their credibility.
Surprisingly, the results showed that only 11 studies, among the many published, met the international standards of high-quality research to be included in the meta-analysis.
The researchers were also able to determine that there are programmes capable of producing statistically significant improvements in students’ reading levels. They stress that the basic skills that should be developed are phonological awareness, knowledge of the alphabetic code, fluency and reading comprehension.
Finally, they also warn that there is an urgent need to publish more research on the subject with greater methodological rigour, in order to broaden the range of studies on which to carry out future meta-analyses, which in turn will serve as a benchmark for the design of education policies based on scientific evidence. As José Luis Arco Tirado points out, «only in this way will it be possible to make real and measurable progress towards quality and excellence in education, regardless of who teaches you or where you learn».
Contact details
José Luis Arco Tirado
Department of Developmental and Educational Psychology
Telephone: +34 958 249 659
Email: jlarco@ugr.es
Full text of the study
Arco-Tirado, J. L., Fernández-Martín, F. D., Hervás-Torres, M., Jiménez-Fernández, G., Calet, N., Defior, S., Neitzel, A. J., & Slavin, R. E. (2024). A Best-Evidence Synthesis and Meta-analysis on Effective Reading Programs in Spanish. Review of Educational Research, 0(0). https://doi.org/10.3102/00346543241297668
Translated version: This text has been translated into English by the Language Services Unit (Vice-Rectorate for Internationalization) of the University of Granada.
