Reading: exploring the reading skill after the second schoolyear in Icelandic children

The main aim of this study was to investigate whether there are gender differences in children’s reading ability at the end of their second year of primary school in Iceland ( N = 545; 260 girls, 285 boys, mean age: 7.7 years, SD = 0.39). A second aim was to compare reading outcomes between two groups of students: 47 children in Vestmannaeyjar who participated in the Ignition project using the READ approach (the experimental group), and 498 children from other schools across Iceland who followed the standard curriculum (the control group). All children were assessed in May 2023 using the LÆS test, which measures both reading accuracy and reading comprehension. The results showed no significant differences between boys and girls. However, there was a large and statistically significant difference between the two groups. In Vestmannaeyjar, 83% of students were able to read and understand the text, compared with only 52% of students in the control group. These findings suggest that introducing letter–sound correspondences early in the first year of school, as done in the READ approach, can provide a strong foundation for decoding and later reading development. The READ method combines a structured phonics programme with principles from cognitive science, including deliberate practice and challenges in relation to skills.