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A longitudinal study of beginning reading achievement and reading self-concept
1Department of Educational Psychology, Massey University, Palmerston North, New Zealand.
The British Journal of Educational Psychology
|October 7, 1997
Summary
Early reading performance influences children's reading self-concept, especially after the first two years of school. This can lead to negative "Matthew effects" for struggling readers.
Area of Science:
- Child Development
- Educational Psychology
- Literacy Studies
Background:
- Achievement-related self-perceptions are causally linked to academic performance.
- The specific age and developmental stage when this relationship emerges in reading acquisition remain unclear.
Purpose of the Study:
- To longitudinally investigate the developing causal relationship between reading self-concept and early reading performance.
- To understand the interplay between a child's belief in their reading ability and their actual reading skills.
Main Methods:
- A longitudinal study followed 112 children from the start of school (age 5) for two and a half years.
- Path analyses were employed to assess reciprocal relationships at three time points: Year 1, Year 2, and Year 3.
Main Results:
- Reading performance was found to causally influence reading self-concept.
- This causal predominance of performance over self-concept was evident between the middle of Year 2 and the middle of Year 3.
Conclusions:
- Early school-based reading experiences shape reading self-concepts within the first 2.5 years of formal education.
- This critical period may contribute to the emergence of negative "Matthew effects" for children facing initial reading challenges.