Eliminating Gender Disparities in Early Reading Skills: A Novel Pedagogical Approach in Iceland Proves Effective

In Iceland, an innovative teaching strategy focused on the individualized instruction of letters and their corresponding phonetic sounds has successfully closed the gender gap in early reading skills, a phenomenon previously noted among first graders in Norway. This approach has led to 98% of students successfully decoding the reading process in the subsequent academic year.

Teaching children the recognition of letters and their associated sounds substantially improves their reading abilities.

The competence level of children in recognizing letters and associating them with specific sounds varies considerably in Norway, especially when they start their formal education. Females tend to have a significant advantage in this regard.

Hermundur Sigmundsson, a faculty member at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology’s (NTNU) Department of Psychology, notes, “The variances are observable across multiple categories—be it upper case or lower case letters, or the naming of letters and their corresponding sounds.”

The proficiency of girls in the knowledge of letter-sound relationships surpasses that of boys. This gender imbalance continues through age 15, where girls still maintain superior reading skills, having implications for boys in multiple subjects.

However, newly published data in the journal Acta Psychologica indicates that this gender imbalance is absent among first graders in Iceland.

Gender-Neutral Competence in Iceland

Sigmundsson states, “We observe no gender-based differences in letter-sound knowledge among Icelandic children as they begin their first grade.”

This finding is applicable to general reading skills as well as the knowledge of letters and their associated sounds.

“Over 56 percent of Icelandic children had already decoded the reading process by the time they entered school. The gender balance is maintained here as well,” adds Sigmundsson.

Contrastingly, only 11% of Norwegian children can read words when entering the first grade, and of those, 70% are girls.

Emphasis on Early Learning in Iceland

According to Sigmundsson, the educational system in Iceland places early emphasis on learning letters and their corresponding sounds. He advocates for the adoption of this methodology in Norway, where the focus often shifts to whole-word recognition instead.

The assessment methodology for measuring these skills was developed by Greta Storm Ofteland, a Norwegian special education teacher. Results have been featured in five international articles thus far.

Methodology Testing

A new teaching strategy, referred to as READ or LESTU, has garnered global attention through its successful implementation in the Icelandic project Kveikjum neistann! (Ignite the spark!). The method was trialed with first-grade students in the academic year of 2021/2022.

“Upon completing the first year in Iceland, all participants in our study had successfully decoded the reading process. This is an excellent foundation for future development in areas like reading comprehension, creative writing, and pronunciation,” says Sigmundsson.

By the following year, 98% of students maintained this level of proficiency, confirming the result’s sustainability. This research has been discussed at various Nordic conferences and in a podcast featuring scholars from New York University.

Personalized Teaching for Enhanced Reading Skills

An essential aspect of this teaching approach involves personalized instruction. Initial baseline assessments at the beginning of the academic year are followed by evaluations in January and May.

Sigmundsson explains, “Our aim for the Icelandic project is for 80 to 90 percent of students to be proficient in reading by the end of the second grade. This goal was achieved with the cohort that began the first grade in autumn 2021.”

This accomplishment includes not just the ability to read text but to comprehend it as well, with no discernable gender differences.

For additional information about this educational initiative, please click here.

Further Considerations: The Finnish Model

While the Icelandic methodology has proven effective for early reading skills, there is still much to be learned. Finnish Professor Heikki Lyytinen suggests that pre-schools should also focus on physical activity, language and vocabulary development, and social skills.

Lyytinen notes that Finnish children typically do not learn letter sounds until they begin school at age 7, emphasizing that knowing the names of letters is not the same as understanding their associated sounds.

PISA Performance and Long-Term Outcomes

When it comes to long-term performance on the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA), Finland surpasses both Iceland and Norway, leading in both reading and science.

“While Iceland shows promising early results, there appears to be a gap in maintaining these skills through continued reading, vocabulary development, and so on,” says Sigmundsson.

Future Directions

For improving outcomes, baseline assessments need to be established before formal education begins.

Sigmundsson concludes, “We are currently developing a test to evaluate the vocabulary skills of three-year-old children.”

Reference: “Letter-sound knowledge in Icelandic children at the age of 6 years-old” by Helga S. Thórsdóttir, Svava Þ Hjaltalín and Hermundur Sigmundsson, published on June 1, 2023, in Acta Psychologica. DOI: 10.1016/j.actpsy.2023.103953.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) about Gender Gap in Early Reading Skills

More about Gender Gap in Early Reading Skills

• Acta Psychologica Journal
• Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA)
• Norwegian University of Science and Technology’s Department of Psychology
• Icelandic Project Kveikjum neistann! (Note: Placeholder as specific link is not provided)
• Gender Gap in Education
• Educational Methods and Theories
• Reading Skills Development