The study examines the reading attitudes and attainment of Hong Kong, Singapore and English primary-school students using data collected in the PIRLS 2001 international reading survey. The results shows that reading attitudes and confidence tend to be significantly related to reading achievement test scores. The results also support the view that English pupils, generally speaking, do well on reading tests, both at 'reading for literary purposes' and at 'reading to acquire and use information' . There is also a clear relationship between gender and achievement. The findings support the view that girls' reading attitudes and achievement are generally better than those of boys at the age levels examined.
[Copyright of Research in Education is the property of Manchester University Press.]