Exploring the Secret of Finnish Reading Literacy Achievement

The article describes and analyzes the main findings of the International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement (IEA) Reading Literacy Study in Finland. The initial analyses indicate that in the international comparison the Finnish students had the highest literacy levels at both 9 and 14 years of age among the 31 participating nations. Possible explanations for the high scores are suggested and discussed from both Nordic and national points of view. In order to relate the reading performance not only internationally but also to the previous assessments, the results on some subtests are compared with the corresponding tests in the 1970 IEA reading comprehension study and in the national reading assessment in 1979. The quality of reading achievement is also examined in the light of a few national options included in the IEA Reading Literacy Study. These results reveal some problems in the quality of Finnish students’ reading literacy, which suggest challenges for future literacy work in Finland.