Kjersti Lundetræ

Do Basic Skills Predict Youth Unemployment (16- to 24-Year-Olds) Also when Controlled for Accomplished Upper-Secondary School? A Cross-Country Comparison.

Basic skills and educational level are closely related, and both might affect employment. Data from the Adult Literacy and Life Skills Survey were used to examine whether basic skills in terms of literacy and numeracy predicted youth unemployment (16–24 years) while controlling for educational level. Stepwise logistic regression showed that in Canada, Italy, Norway and the USA, low basic skills predicted youth employment. In Canada and the USA, basic skills at Level 1 increased the odds of being unemployed versus employed between two and four times compared to basic skills at Level 3 while controlling for educational level. As for Norway, when controlling for educational level, basic skills were nearly significant (p = 0.06), showing an odds ratio of 2.71.

Can Test Construction Account for Varying Gender Differences in International Reading Achievement Tests of Children, Adolescents and Young Adults?--A Study Based on Nordic Results in PIRLS, PISA and PIAAC.

Abstract Gender differences in reading seem to increase throughout schooling and then decrease or even disappear with age, but the reasons for this are unclear. In this study, we explore whether differences in the way ‘reading literacy’ is operationalised can add to our understanding of varying gender differences in international large-scale surveys. We first compare the impact of gender on reading literacy in PIRLS 2011 (10-year-olds), Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) 2009 (15-year-olds) and Programme for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies (PIAAC) 2012 (16–24-year-olds), respectively, across the Nordic countries. Then we compare how reading literacy is operationalised in those surveys. We find similar patterns of gender differences across the Nordic countries, with the largest effect sizes in PISA and the smallest in PIAAC. Further, even though the three surveys define reading literacy in similar ways, they operationalise and assess that construct differently. The magnitude of the observed gender differences appears to be associated with certain assessment features including text type, item format, aspects of reading and implementation.

Relationship between literacy skills and self-reported health in the Nordic countries

Aims: This study investigated the association between literacy skills and self-reported health among Danish (n = 7284), Finnish (n = 5454), Norwegian (n = 4942) and Swedish (n = 4555) participants aged 16–65 years. Methods: Logistic regression models were used to assess the association between literacy skills and self-reported health after adjusting for sex, age and educational level. Results: Nordic participants aged 16–65 years with literacy skills at the lowest level reported sub-optimal health more often (28–37%) than those with literacy skills at the highest level (7–9%). After adjusting for sex, age and educational level, the likelihood of reporting sub-optimal health was 1.99–3.24 times as high for those with literacy skills at the lowest level as for those with literacy skills at the highest level. Conclusions: These results suggest that poor literacy skills increase the likelihood of experiencing poor health in the Nordic countries, even after controlling for educational level.

Gender differences in toddlers’ language and participation in language activities in Norwegian ECEC institutions

ABSTRACT A body of studies, which are mostly based on parental reports, have documented gender differences in early language proficiency, and girls tend to outperform boys in both language production and language comprehension. In this study, staff in Norwegian Early Childhood Education and Care institutions observed language comprehension, word production, and participation in adult-driven language activities in 1005 thirty-three-month-olds (489 girls and 516 boys). Significant gender differences in favor of girls were found in all aspects explored. Children with high language scores participate more in language activities than children with low language scores, and boys are overrepresented in the last-mentioned group.