Digital Reading in PISA 2012 and ICT Uses: How Do VET and General Education Students Perform? JRC Science for Policy Report

The analyses presented in this report indicate that in several Member States (MS) 15-year-old students in vocational-oriented programmes (VET) perform better in digital reading than in print reading in PISA 2012. When differentiated by programme of study--VET versus general education programmes--VET students perform better in digital than in print reading in Belgium, France, Italy, Portugal and the Slovak Republic. Moreover, VET students display specific patterns of ICT-related practices. For example, they have more access to computers at school than at home and their engagement in frequent browsing of the internet for school work is associated with higher digital reading achievement. Results suggest that schools should help VET students develop further digital skills to support their learning. Annexes A and B contain tables presenting descriptive statistics about students' reading performance, ICT uses in general, and VET programmes. [This report is part of the CRELL VIII Administrative Agreement agreed between DG Education and Culture (EAC) and DG Joint Research Centre (JRC). Its content is stipulated under point 2.1--Technical report #3 of the Technical Annex accompanying CRELL VIII.]