PIRLS 2001 measured trends in children’s reading literacy achievement and collected data on policy and practices related to literacy. The study examined three aspects of reading literacy: processes of comprehension, purposes for reading, and reading literacy behavior and attitudes. The first two aspects formed the basis of the written test of reading comprehension. The third aspect, behavior and attitudes, was addressed by the student questionnaire. This questionnaire and the parent, teacher, and school questionnaires gathered information about home and school factors associated with the development of reading literacy.
PIRLS 2001 was inaugurated as a follow-up to IEA’s 1991 Reading Literacy Study. In addition, countries that participated in this 1991 study were able to measure trends in their students’ reading literacy achievement over the period 1991–2001.
The TIMSS & PIRLS International Study Center at the Lynch School of Education, Boston College, United States, served as the international study center for PIRLS 2001, working in close cooperation with the IEA, and the national centers of participating countries.
For more information, including in-depth reports and analyses, please visit the PIRLS 2001 website.
The PIRLS 2001 target population is the grade that represents four years of schooling, counting from the first year of ISCED Level 1, which corresponds to the fourth grade in most countries.
Argentina, Belize, Bulgaria, Canada, Colombia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, England, France, Germany, Greece, Hong Kong SAR, Hungary, Iceland, Iran, Israel, Italy, Kuwait, Latvia, Lithuania, Macedonia, Moldova, Morocco, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Romania, Russian Federation, Scotland, Singapore, Slovak Republic, Slovenia, Sweden, Turkey, and United States.