Reading skills for better school results, integration and democracy

The reading ability of Swedish students is steadily declining. The researchers in the project aim to improve reading comprehension by creating a reading proficiency program to enhance teaching and thereby improve students’ reading ability.

The project team considers the decline in reading ability as a problem of such gravity that it should be treated as a societal challenge. The reading crisis affects students of all ages, in all school stages and types. It affects students with native languages other than Swedish, and students with Swedish as their mother tongue, and also students with and without learning difficulties. The spread suggests that the difficulties are diverse, but there is no coherent body of knowledge on this in Sweden.

Reading ability is generally assessed on the basis of reading comprehension, but the research team argues there is scientific support for the view that the reading crisis is manifested in the basic literacy skills. It is there, possibly combined with vocabulary, they think solutions should be sought. There is no reason to believe the ability to understand has declined.

The researchers believe the situation as a whole is more complex than it might appear, necessitating a thorough examination of the reading ability throughout the school and education system – from first grade to upper secondary school and adult education – for students with Swedish as their first language and for students with other native languages.

The research team also considers that needs should to be clearly identified, such that relevant measures can be formulated. They therefore intend to carry out a needs assessment and draw up an action plan for teaching methods and materials, and also develop a plan for practical organization and implementation in schools. Together, these form a reading proficiency program that will be tested and adapted in several cycles during the project period. The goal is to achieve effective solutions that work for teachers and students in each school type and that can be easily scaled up.

This will be achieved by

• Conducting a relevant and precise analysis of needs in various parts of the education system and for different student groups (needs assessment)
• Designing targeted and effective measures for teaching based on the needs assessment
• Implementing and validating needs analyses and teaching measures.

The project goal is a sustainable and scientifically supported reading proficiency program consisting of three parts:

• A needs assessment model
• Methods and content for teaching
• A reading proficiency plan for school development and implementation.