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Significant changes in German reading practice and reading comprehension performance over 20 years

Eva Adler

University of Vienna/Arbeitsgemeinschaft Legasthenie-Dyskalkulie-Lernhilfe, Vienna eva.adler@univie.ac.at

Abstract

The Zürcher Lesetest ZLT (Zurich reading test) was published in 1981 and has remained a popular instrument for the evaluation of reading ability of school children age 8 to 12. The Zürcher Leseverständnistest ZLVT (Zurich reading comprehension test) was published in 1984 and addresses 4th graders to 6th graders. The reference values from 1981 and 1984, based on the population of Switzerland, are still in use. In a recent study (2002) these reference values were scrutinized: Are the standards of the ZLT and the ZLVT still valid? Has the reading performance deteriorated in the same way as the spelling performance over the past 25 years? The evaluation was based on the scores of 98 5th graders and 83 6th graders (age 10-12) from Viennese schools. The average performance was compared to the reference values provided by the authors. Significant differences could be found. The results of the speed and accuracy scores of the 2002 sample indicated a significantly higher standard of performance than in the 1981 reference group. This is contradictory to the results of the standardised spelling tests, which indicate a lower level of performance. As to reading comprehension the discrepancy between our results in the Capital of Austria and in the province of Vienna are heterogeneous with the Zurich norms of 1984. Yet they show the same tendency as the reading comprehension: A higher reading speed is associated with reduced text comprehension.

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