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Do Textbooks Matter for Reading Comprehension? A Study in Flemish Primary Education
Jonas Dockx1, Kim Bellens2, Bieke De Fraine1
1Centre for Educational Effectiveness and Evaluation, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium.
Frontiers in Psychology
|February 11, 2020
Summary
Textbooks do not impact reading comprehension academic performance or engagement in primary students. This study found no significant differences in learning progress or engagement evolution across five different textbooks used in Flanders.
Area of Science:
- Education
- Psychology
- Literacy Studies
Background:
- Textbooks are considered crucial in daily curriculum delivery.
- Prior research suggests textbooks significantly influence student learning and engagement.
- This study investigates the causal impact of textbooks on academic outcomes.
Purpose of the Study:
- To determine if specific textbooks affect academic performance in reading comprehension.
- To assess the influence of textbooks on students' engagement with reading.
- To analyze the evolution of reading comprehension and engagement from fourth to sixth grade.
Main Methods:
- Utilized data from Progress in International Reading Literacy Study (PIRLS) 2016 and 2018.
- Employed multilevel autoregression and multilevel change score models.
- Controlled for socioeconomic status, language, and prior academic performance at student and school levels.
Main Results:
- No significant effect of textbooks on average learning progress in reading comprehension was found.
- Textbooks did not influence the evolution of student engagement in reading.
- Hypotheses regarding textbook impact on learning progress and engagement were rejected.
Conclusions:
- Textbooks do not appear to be a determining factor in primary students' reading comprehension academic performance.
- Student engagement in reading is not significantly affected by the choice of textbook.
- Further research may explore other factors influencing reading literacy development.
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