This open access book presents insights into the current state of reading literacy in the Dinaric region, namely the education systems in Albania, Croatia, Kosovo[1], Montenegro, North Macedonia, Serbia, and Slovenia. A collection of analyses reveals factors influencing this key capacity of young pupils. Using data from IEA’s Progress in International Reading Literacy Study (PIRLS) 2021, the book explores teaching and learning reading literacy at the end of primary school (Grade 4) through multiple lenses, such as national reading curricula and textbooks, home and school resources for learning, student wellbeing, teacher education, instructions, and digital assessments. Since the administration of PIRLS 2021 coincided with the Covid-19 pandemic, the book also provides valuable insights into remote teaching and learning and other disruptions caused by the pandemic.

This volume builds on the regional research presented in IEA Research for Education Volume 13, Dinaric Perspectives on TIMSS 2019, which explored the teaching and learning of mathematics and science in primary schools across the Dinaric region. Aimed at policymakers, researchers, and practitioners, Dinaric Perspectives on PIRLS 2021 offers multidimensional perspectives on student achievement in reading literacy in a region that is underrepresented in the English-speaking research literature on educational assessments and student performance.

[1] This designation is without prejudice to positions on status and is in line with UNSCR 1244/1999 and the ICJ Opinion on the Kosovo declaration of independence.