Gaps in Online Reading: Analyzing ePIRLS Results After Controlling for Students' Offline Reading Ability

• In Event: Inclusive Education in Asian Context

Abstract

Online reading has become the primary way people acquire information, and it necessitates a skillset that goes beyond the skills needed for offline reading. Recognizing this, IEA’s PIRLS assessment was extended to include ePIRLS - an assessment of online informational reading. This paper investigates who is getting ahead in online reading by analyzing data associated with predictors of ePIRLS achievement after controlling for PIRLS offline reading achievement. The results show that after controlling for offline reading, girls, higher SES students, and students with more access to digital devices generally continue to have higher scores. However, the magnitude of differences in conditional scores decreases. The results suggest that much of the variance in ePIRLS scores is explained by offline reading ability.

Authors

• Martin Hooper, American Institutes for Research

• Yemurai Tsokodayi, American Institutes for Research

• Jenny Liu, Lexia Learning , A Rosetta Stone Company