Comparing response patterns for a reading literacy test in Japan, South Korea, and China: An item analytic approach using a language reading test developed in Japan

The purpose of this study was to compare response patterns of Japanese, Chinese, and South Korean junior high school students on a language reading test developed in Japan. Students in Japan (N=163), China (N=243), and South Korea (N=232) were administered the Gunma Prefecture Achievement Test which was translated into Chinese and Korean. Students were given 50 minutes to answer, and responses were evaluated based on a scoring rubric. Students were assigned to groups by ability (Low, Middle, High), and proportions of correct and unanswered responses of the test were analyzed by groups. Results found that Japanese students had the highest proportion of correct answers for multiple-choice items. However, they had the lowest proportion of correct answers and the highest proportion of no-response in a written response question citing a concrete example. In contrast, South Korean students had the highest proportion of correct answers for these items, and Chinese students had the lowest proportion of no-response. It was found that there were high proportions of no-response for Japanese and Korean low group in a written response question which required filling in conversational sentence text. However, Korean low group made more no-response than Japanese for this item. In summary, depending on the nature of the item, Japanese and Koreans alternated in their no-response tendencies. Moreover, Chinese students were observed to have fewer no-responses through all items.