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Exploring Regional Differences in the Reading Competencies of Italian Students

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  • Mariagiulia Matteucci
  • Stefania Mignani

Abstract

Background: Recently, the study of territorial differences in educational outcomes has assumed a particular importance for the policy strategies related to the socioeconomic conditions of different geographical areas. In Italy, international surveys for student assessments have introduced a regional stratification only recently, and regular national student assessments started only in 2008. Method: In this article, the reading performances of Italian students based on OECD-PISA 2009 are investigated, taking into account regional and macro-area partition. Student outcomes are explored by using a multilevel analysis, where school membership, socioeconomic and cultural background of students, and regional gross domestic product are introduced. Results: The results show that, despite the existence of a unified educational system in Italy, regional and macro-area differences in student reading achievements are consolidated and variability in performances among schools is especially noticeable. Comparisons based on national assessments by INVALSI at the end of compulsory school confirm these findings. Conclusion: Italian policy makers are advised to take into account these results to improve learning opportunities and to reduce educational gaps. In particular, targeted regional policies are needed to improve the mean performance especially in the Southern regions of Calabria, Campania, and Sicilia, and to strengthen the system equity in several regions, such as Emilia-Romagna. To decrease the school differences, possible suggestions are to postpone the choice of the school type (currently, at age 14) and to motivate good teachers to work in schools located in the worst socioeconomic and cultural environments.

Suggested Citation

  • Mariagiulia Matteucci & Stefania Mignani, 2014. "Exploring Regional Differences in the Reading Competencies of Italian Students," Evaluation Review, , vol. 38(3), pages 251-290, June.
    • Handle: RePEc:sae:evarev:v:38:y:2014:i:3:p:251-290
    DOI: 10.1177/0193841X14540289
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    2. Ralph Hippe & Maciej Jakubowski & Luisa De Sousa Lobo Borges de Araujo, 2018. "Regional inequalities in PISA: the case of Italy and Spain," JRC Research Reports JRC109057, Joint Research Centre.
    3. Antonella D’Agostino & Francesco Schirripa Spagnolo & Nicola Salvati, 2022. "Studying the relationship between anxiety and school achievement: evidence from PISA data," Statistical Methods & Applications, Springer;Società Italiana di Statistica, vol. 31(1), pages 1-20, March.
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    5. Orazio Giancola & Luca Salmieri, 2020. "Family Background, School-Track and Macro-Area: the Complex Chains of Education Inequalities in Italy," Working Papers 4/20, Sapienza University of Rome, DISS.
    6. Camanho, Ana S. & Varriale, Luisa & Barbosa, Flávia & Sobral, Thiago, 2021. "Performance assessment of upper secondary schools in Italian regions using a circular pseudo-Malmquist index," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 289(3), pages 1188-1208.
    7. Francesco Schirripa Spagnolo & Nicola Salvati & Antonella D’Agostino & Ides Nicaise, 2020. "The use of sampling weights in M‐quantile random‐effects regression: an application to Programme for International Student Assessment mathematics scores," Journal of the Royal Statistical Society Series C, Royal Statistical Society, vol. 69(4), pages 991-1012, August.

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