Teacher characteristics and choicesand their effects on reading achievement: A comparision between Sweden and Quebec

Abstract

Purpose. The purpose of this study is to compare teacher and classroom factors that are believed to affect students’ reading achievement scores at the fourth grade level by using PIRLS 2011 dataset. Teacher qualification and experience, along with how reading instruction is done, reading material used, time spent on reading during class time, socio economic background of students, and school emphasis on academic success were included in the analysis. Theory. The Coleman report (1966) about school segregation triggered the need to highlight teacher and classroom factors that are effective in helping student achieve acceptable reading levels. The Dynamic Model of Educational Effectiveness (Creemers and Kyriakides, 2008) provided the theoretical concepts on which the model of this study was constructed. Method. Two two-level structural equation models were created for this study, one for Quebec, and one for Sweden. This allowed the possibility to compare the results and determine similarities and differences between the two jurisdictions. Results. Students’ socio-economic status (SES) was controlled at the student-level for the purpose of this study. Reading achievement is mainly explained by SES for both school systems. In Quebec, time spent across the curriculum is also directly significant. It is the choice of reading material that is significant in Sweden. Teacher qualifications seem to be predictive of teacher’s instruction choices in Quebec but not as much in Sweden. The latter is more influenced by students’ SES and the school’s emphasis on academic success