Handing over report on effective reading education in the Netherlands
February 3, 2022
What is needed to improve the reading skills of Dutch students? And what does effective reading education look like? These are central questions in the report that the Committee for Education, Culture and Science (OCW) received on Thursday 3 February. Scientists from Leiden University explain the research results during a technical briefing.
Research commissioned by the OCW committee
In the report Managing by understanding: Effective Reading Education in the Netherlands the causes of the reading skills of pupils in primary and secondary education were examined. The report lists what is needed to bring reading skills back up to standard. The research is being carried out on behalf of the Committee for Education, Culture and Science.
Read with good understanding
The researchers conclude, among other things, that many Dutch students have difficulty with in-depth reading. The researchers also state that a lot is already known about water and that it is necessary for students to learn to read with good understanding. But this knowledge is only sporadically and rarely found in education. The useful stumbling block is to apply this knowledge concretely in a teacher’s classroom situation, according to the researchers.
Take action
The report lists several options for taking action, for example for the teacher, school management and government. These action perspectives have been drawn up to help students. They are better able to master processes and strategies to learn to read for different purposes.
Motion
The external investigation arises from a motive. The State of Education 2020 shows that the reading skills of Dutch young people have been OECD for years, showing that almost a quarter of 15-year-olds have problems with basic reading comprehension. The results of other (inter)national tests confirm this picture. This formed the c for the Rogs motion, which was unanimously adopted by the House of Representatives in June 2020.
Technical briefing
The meeting took place in a hybrid manner. After the report was handed over, the Commission for Cooperation started via video connection during a technical briefing. This was provided by Paul van den Broek, professor of pedagogical and educational sciences, Christine Espin, professor of learning disabilities and orthopedagogical interventions in education, and Anne Helder, assistant professor of educational sciences. The handover and technical briefing can be viewed a few hours afterwards via this website and Debate Missed.