Korean 15-year-olds' reading ability drops considerably over past 3 years: report
Korean 15-year-olds' reading ability dropped significantly over the last three years, an OECD report showed Tuesday, likely partly due to the increased use of digital and social media. According to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development's Programme for International Student Assessment 2025, the cohort's average reading score was 501, down 14 points from the previous assessment…
A recent OECD report has revealed a significant decline in the reading abilities of Korean 15-year-olds over the past three years, possibly attributed to the growing usage of digital and social media platforms. According to the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development's Programme for International Student Assessment 2025, the cohort's average reading score plummeted by 14 points, from 515 in 2022 to 501 in the most recent assessment.
The evaluation encompassed approximately 760,000 students across 91 countries, comprising 38 of the OECD member states. It is designed to measure and compare the skills of 15-year-olds in reading, mathematics, and science, with assessments conducted every three years, although future editions will be released annually.
In Korea, this assessment was carried out among 6,859 students in 196 schools. The country's ranking in reading abilities dropped to 15th place, compared to 12th place in 2022. The report presents a range of rankings for each nation, considering the margin of error, rather than a single rank. Identifying a specific cause for the reduced reading proficiency proves challenging.
Written by urgent.news from The Korea Times's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
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