Irish children hit reading 'slump' in secondary school

Younger Irish readers were often found by the study to have the highest Average Book Difficulty Level (ATOS) when compared to their counterparts in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.

Younger Irish readers opt for more difficult books but hit a “slump” when it comes to more challenging reads once they reach secondary school, a new study suggests.

Including input from 35,000 Irish students, the latest ‘What Kids Are Reading’ report on the reading behaviours of more than one million students found younger Irish readers typically opt for books more than two years ahead of their age.

Younger Irish readers were often found by the study to have the highest Average Book Difficulty Level (ATOS) when compared to their counterparts in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.

The study noted that in Ireland “there is much emphasis on reading hard books in lower primary, which children manage with high levels of comprehension". 

However, each jurisdiction saw a “striking slump” in book difficulty once students transferred to secondary school. “This needs addressing by schools in all regions,” the study noted.

It also found “striking differences” in how reading is taught at primary level between Ireland and Northern Ireland, with difficulty at primary level here much lower. 

“However, by the time secondary education comes around, or even upper primary, these differences seem to have been levelled out and children are reading material at pretty much the same level of difficulty.” 

Students who took part were given the opportunity to vote for their favourite books. Irish students picked Dog Man by cartoonist Dav Pailkey, the creator of Captain Underpants, while secondary students turned to Wonder by R J Palacio.

Other popular books included Once by Morris Gleitzman and One of Us Is Lying by Karen M McManus.