Reading Attitude as a Mediator between Contextual Factors and Reading Behavior

Abstract

Background Among the factors known to influence reading development and performance, attitude toward reading is shown to be particularly critical for developing learners. Reading attitude enhances independent reading, levels of engagement in classroom reading activities, and the amount and variety of topics in reading, which in turn influence reading skills and strategies. Reading attitude is an important element in students’ active engagement and achievement in reading. Purpose The first purpose of this study was to test whether Korean students’ home literacy resources, parental support and parents’ reading attitude, and teachers’ use of instructional strategies in relation to reading could predict Korean students’ reading attitude. The second purpose was to test a model linking family- and school-related factors, reading attitude, and reading behaviors and learning strategy use as outcomes. Specifically, we hypothesized that positive and negative attitudes toward reading would mediate the relationships between home, parent, and teacher variables and reading outcomes. Design Using a nationally representative sample from the PISA 2009 database, we tested two structural equation models. Because there were two categories of outcomes examined in this study, we fitted the model separately for each outcome category. The first model (Reading Behavior Model) included reading activities such as reading for enjoyment, reading diversity, and online reading as outcome variables. The second model (Learning Strategy Model) shared the same model structure with the first one except that the outcome variables were use of learning strategies such as memorization, elaboration, and control. In both models, reading attitudes were hypothesized to mediate the relationship between contextual factors (i.e. gender, home resources, parental and teacher influences) and the reading/learning outcomes. Conclusions Gender, books and other types of literacy resources in the home, and parents’ attitudes toward reading functioned as consistent predictors of Korean students’ positive and negative attitudes toward reading. Among the contextual factors, parents’ reading attitude and parental support for reading directly as well as indirectly predicted students’ reading behaviors via students’ reading attitude. Parental support for reading and teachers’ instruction and assignment strategies in reading directly predicted students’ use of learning strategies as well. Positive attitudes toward reading also predicted students’ use of memorization, elaboration, and control strategies. Thus, reading attitude was an important mediator between parent- and teacher-related contextual factors and reading/learning engagement of Korean adolescents.

The role of computer game playing and reading attitudes in digital reading achievement: evidence from Hong Kong 15-year-olds

“…From one perspective, this accords with earlier observations that demonstrate solid while positive prediction of reading attitudes to reading achievement (Logan & Johnston, 2009;Martinez et al, 2008;Sainsbury & Schagen, 2004). This outcome is also in line with Lim et al (2015), who stated that reading attitudes were predominantly vital for developing reading literacy. From another perspective, this finding is contrary to previous studies which suggest that there exist negative associations between reading attitudes and reading performance (Kush & Watkins, 1996;Martinez et al, 2008;McKenna et al, 2012;McKenna et al, 1995;Sölpük, 2017).…”

“…Attitudes towards reading are known to be one of the most critical factors that influence reading performance and achievement (Lim et al, 2015). Swalander and Taube (2007) defined reading attitude as one's un/favorable disposition towards reading.…”

“…Swalander and Taube (2007) defined reading attitude as one's un/favorable disposition towards reading. Students with positive reading attitudes regard reading as a pleasurable activity, whereas those with negative attitudes do not enjoy reading (Lim et al, 2015). In other words, the reading attitude represents students' intrinsic motivation.…”

“…Gender is a determining factor relating to reading attitudes (Lim et al, 2015). Past findings indicate that girls tend to be more friendly towards reading than boys (McKenna et al, 1995;Sainsbury & Schagen, 2004;Swalander & Taube, 2007).…”

A Chip Off the Old Block: Do Reading‐Motivated Parents Raise Reading‐Motivated Children?

“…With the same objective as Lim et al (2015), researchers from the Chilean Agency of Educational Quality (CAEQ) developed a multilevel model to examine how demographic variables, SES factors, literacy-related habits, teacher practices, and school characteristics contributed to predicting Chilean tenth graders' reading motivation (Agencia de Calidad de la Educación, 2016). Using the 2015 national reading assessment data set (SIMCE; System of Measurement of Educational Quality, acronym in Spanish) they found that, while controlling for other variables, parents' self-reported reading motivation level was a significant predictor of students' reading motivation.…”