Reading Literacy in Moslem-Majority Countries: Evidence from PISA

Abstract

Most Moslem-Majority countries nowadays are still facing a low reading literacy rate of their population, even though the first verse revealed in the Quran speaks of the importance of reading in human life. This paper is aimed at portraying reading literacy in the Moslem world and identifying factors influencing this literacy attainment based on PISA studies. The descriptive-comparative analysis is used to depict the students’ reading performance of ten Moslem-Majority countries participating in PISA. The result of this study is that most Moslem-Majority countries lag behind the average of OECD countries. Most of the students were not able to demonstrate the ability of the most fundamental knowledge and skills for the 21st century. Because reading literacy is the basis for self-development, the Moslem worlds face the tremendous challenge that less than one percent of students achieved high literacy levels; those are the ones who will live on in a global society; while the rest were at the lowest level who shall show solemn setbacks in applying this ability to extend their knowledge and skills. The factors influencing this ability are situated in the national and community contexts that shape home, classroom, and school activities in reading. This situation then affects the instruction and experiences in student’s reading. The result of this comparison contributes to the improvement of education systems among the participating countries. This is also a warning that the Moslem worlds have identical educational problems to prepare the next Moslem generation for a better life facing the challenge of globalization.