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Oman

Use and Impact of PIRLS

PIRLS 2011 had a major impact on Oman and received great attention and consideration. Many policy initiatives and improvements have been inspired by the PIRLS results.

The Sultanate of Oman participated in PIRLS 2011 and PIRLS 2016 with the objective of developing and improving its educational system. Following publication of the results, Oman formed a team of Arabic curricula officers, regional supervisors, and assessment officers. The team reviewed international reports before submitting recommendations to policymakers at the Ministry of Education. Most of these recommendations were related to the variables included in the study instruments (i.e., questionnaires), as well as how to link these variables with the levels of student attainment in PIRLS 2011, which had a direct impact on curricula and assessment in the Omani educational system. In particular:

  • Curricula—The scope and sequence of the Arabic curricula was revised completely for Grades 1 to 10. A number of learning outcomes were moved from one grade to another, while new outcomes were introduced for some grades to bring them in line with international scope and sequences. Topics covered by PIRLS 2011 also were taken into consideration.
  • Assessment—The low performance of Omani students in PIRLS has primarily been attributed to their lack of familiarity with the types and phrasing of the questions in the assessment. Subsequently, Oman has focused on training teachers on two main aspects of question development:
    • Classification of questions—Teachers have been trained on classifying questions into the four cognitive domains of Knowledge, Understanding, Application, and Reasoning. Examples for each domain have been developed based on items released by IEA.
    • Format and wording of questions—Teachers have been trained to develop questions in line with PIRLS, and to incorporate these questions into classroom instruction on a daily basis without explicitly linking them to PIRLS.

The PIRLS results are communicated to all education stakeholders in the Ministry of Education, higher education institutions, education committees in the Al Shura and State Councils, the Education Council, the Scientific Research Council, the private sector, parents, etc. The results are communicated to the intended audience through press conferences, published national reports, results sent to all participating schools, and a centrally organized conference to which all education stakeholders are invited to discuss the results.

The Sultanate of Oman first participated in PIRLS in 2011. Following a review of the performance of students in the study, certain aspects of the teaching learning process were revised, of which the most important was the reading curriculum for Cycle One (Grades 1 to 4). The Arabic language curricula development section underwent the following revisions:

  • In 2012, the Grade 1 Arabic language curriculum was improved. Previously, the whole of Grade 1 was seen as a preparation period for the learning of Arabic. The effect of this was that at the end of the year, students were only able to read sentences made up of three words. The preparation period was reduced to cover only one semester, and a reading book was developed for the second semester. With the development of the new reading book, students became able to read texts of 30 words.
  • In 2012, the Grade 4 Arabic language curriculum was rewritten in light of PIRLS text specifications and skills included in PIRLS texts and tests.
  • In 2013, the Grade 3 Arabic language curriculum was rewritten to reflect the changes made to the Grades 1 and 4 textbooks.

Amendments made to the Arabic language curricula contributed to improvements in the reading skills of Cycle One students, and this was confirmed in the PIRLS 2016 results. In 2011, the Sultanate of Oman was able to extract valuable data and quality statistical indicators, which helped it identify actions required to be taken to improve students’ performance in reading in Cycle One.

Analysis of the 2011 results enabled the identification of important elements that control the teaching and learning process in Oman: whether students read well; what students read; whether students comprehend texts; and whether they make use of what they read in their learning. Answering such questions provides physical and tangible indicators on the extent to which Grade 4 students’ reading skills are developed, since this skill is considered the most important skill in the learning process.

Analysis of the 2011 results also made it possible for Omani officials to know how reading is learned in schools, how time is allocated for reading, and what reading methods, aids, and materials are. Consequently, training workshops were organized, curricula were improved, and a number of projects were conducted to encourage students to read. These projects included establishing classroom libraries and initiatives implemented at the school and government levels.

PIRLS also provides an important benchmarking exercise, allowing the Sultanate of Oman to compare the results and outcomes of Omani students with those of students of other participating countries in this international study.