Attainment and Adjustment in Two Geographical Areas

Abstract

It is generally thought that there is considerable regional variation in rates of educational retardation. American studies have shown that reading difficulties are considerably more prevalent in areas of low social status (Miller et al., 1957; Eisenberg, 1966), and Eisenberg (1966) found that inner city children had the lowest reading attainments. The National Child Development study (Davie et al., 1972) showed that reading standards were higher in Scotland than in England, and the Inner London Education Authority (1970) has shown that London primary school children have an average reading level below national norms. In south-east England, Morris (1959 and 1966) showed that levels of reading skills varied according to the characteristics of the schools the children attended. In Japan, a survey using teacher judgements has suggested that the prevalence of reading disability is greatly below that in Western countries (Makita, 1968).