The Analysis of Fourth Grade Primary Students’ Reader Self-perceptions in Terms of Gender and Preschool Educational Background

Abstract

The aim of this study was to analyse perceptions of fourth grade primary school students on their reading ability. In the study, screening model was used as a quantitative research method. The sample of this research was selected by convenience sampling. The sample consisted of 556 fourth grade students who received education in 8 public schools in 2014-2015 academic year in Tuzla, Pendik, Çekmeköy and Kadıköy districts, in İstanbul. A 'personal information form' and a 'Reading Self-Perception Scale' were used as data collection tools in this study. It is found that the readability level of scales and their sub-dimensions' was convenient for the research according to item analysis. The data collected by personal information form and Reader Self-Perception Scale was analysed with SPSS (Statistical Package for the Social Sciences) 23 statistical package program. For the analysis frequency and percentage distribution, mean square and standard deviation values, Kolmogorov-Smirnov test and independent samples t-test were used. The general reader self-perception of fourth graders is at positive level. The highest level of reader self-perceptions is at 'progress'. The general self-perception levels of students vary by gender. Also, the reader self-perceptions level of female students is higher than the reader self-perceptions level of male students. The reader self-perceptions of students vary by pre-school educational background. The students who have pre-school educational background have higher level of reader self-perception with its sub-dimensions than the students who don't have pre-school educational background.

İlkokul Öğrencilerinin Okur Benlik Algısı ve Okuduğunu Anlama Becerileri Arasındaki İlişki

“…Based on the results of the present study examining the relationship between primary school students' reader self-perception levels and reading comprehension skills, it seems clear that students' total scores in the reader self-perception scale show significant differences in favour of female students when the gender variable is taken into account. In the literature, Baker and Wigfield (1999), Baştuğ and Çelik (2015), İnnalı and Aydın (2014), Meece et al (2006), Sağırlı and Okur (2017), Yaylı and Duru (2008), Phillips (2002) and Ünal (2012) reported a similar result and concluded that female students' reader self-perception levels were higher than those of male students. Still, there are also studies (Byrne, 1986;Karakoç-Öztürk, 2015) that found that the reader self-perception did not change according to gender.…”

“…In this sense, it seems that whether or not students comprehend what they read is not influenced by whether or not they consider themselves as a competent reader. However, it has often been suggested that individuals who can regard themselves as competent in terms of the reader self-perception will have higher reading comprehension skills (Henk & Melnick, 1995;Sağırlı & Okur, 2017). The fact that there is a weak, negative and significant correlation between reading comprehension skills and attitudes towards reading in the 2 nd grade students shows that students with a positive attitude towards reading have a low level of reading comprehension or those with a negative attitude towards it have a high level of reading comprehension.…”

“…In a similar sense, people with high reading self-efficacy perceptions are likely to be more successful in reading comprehension and handling difficult texts than those with low self-efficacy (Guthrie & Wigfield, 2000;Solheim, 2011;Wigfield & Guthrie, 1997). Research has shown that children who describe themselves as good readers in the reading process use reading strategies efficiently, manage to cope with reading problems, and are more active in the act of construing (Henk & Melnick, 1995;Sağırlı & Okur, 2017). To the contrary, studies have also demonstrated that children who do not consider themselves as good readers are indeed more reluctant and careless in the reading process (Henk, Marinek & Melnick, 2012).…”

“…Some of these studies, for example, consist of development and adaptation studies of reader self-perception scale at different grade levels (Henk & Melnick, 1995;Yaylı & Duru, 2008;Yıldız & Bulut, 2016;Wigfield & Guthrie, 1997). In other studies, the concept of reader self-perception is one of the variables investigated (Baker & Wigfield, 1999;Baştuğ & Çelik, 2015;Byrne, 1986;İnnalı & Aydın, 2014;Karakoç-Öztürk, 2015;Meece, Glienke & Burg, 2006;Ünal, 2012;Sağırlı & Okur, 2017). It should also be noted that there are some studies that did not focus on the concepts of reading comprehension and reader self-perception, but indirectly reached conclusions about their relationship (Bailey, 2009;Courtenay-Brown, 1992;Esmer, 2019;Katzir, Lesaux & Kim, 2009;Kwon & Linderholm, 2014;Phillips, 2002;Smith et al, 2012).…”

Pre-service English Teachers’ Extensive Reading and Its Effect on L2 Reading Self-efficacy

“…First, limited opportunities for recruitment resulted in the relatively small analysis sample. Secondly, the RSPS2 was originally designed for use with native speakers although it has been used with L2 learners in other contexts (Alrwele 2015;Sağırlı and Okur 2017 The results presented here can help us recognize that ER can alter L2 readers' internal physiological states while reading and allow them to experience more positive emotions connected to reading in the target language. Thus, these findings…”