The influence of gender, reading ability, independent reading, and context on reading attitude: a multilevel analysis of Hong Kong data from Progress in International Reading Literacy Study (PIRLS)

Abstract

Introduction Since 2001, the Progress in International Reading Literacy Study (PIRLS) has been undertaken worldwide every 5 years. In PIRLS 2006, Hong Kong Grade 4 students ranked second among the 46 participating states and countries. The study examined the relative role of gender, reading ability, and independent reading, as well as family and school influences in explaining students’ reading attitudes associated with reading attainment.

Research question First, whether gender effect is found in students’ attitudes toward reading? Second, do reading ability and independent reading explain variance in students’ individual reading attitudes? Third, are home educational resources and parents’ reading attitudes associated with students’ reading attitudes? Lastly, to what extent, are instructional practices and school mean reading achievement related to students’ reading attitudes, either at school level or individual level?

Method Each student completed a 90-minute test booklet and an around-20-minute questionnaire. Students’ teachers, school principals and parents were also asked to fill out questionnaires. Data analyzed here was taken from the Hong Kong data in PIRLS 2006. It was collected in 2006 from 144 Hong Kong local schools, comprising a representative sample of 4712 primary fourth-grade students. Relationship between reading attitude and individual (i.e., gender, reading ability, and independent reading), family (i.e., parents’ reading attitudes and home educational resources), and school (i.e., teaching reading skills and school mean reading achievement) factors were modelled with multilevel analysis.

Results Results show that gender, reading ability, independent reading, parents’ reading attitudes, and home educational resources made significant contribution to reading attitude. Moreover, teaching reading skills and school mean reading achievement were positively related to students’ reading attitudes.

Discussion Male students’ less positive reading attitudes suggest that boys may be more beneficiary to intervention programs on reading attitudes. Thus teachers and parents should pay special attention to boys when considering methods or programs to accelerate reading achievement. In addition, the strong positive relation between in-school independent reading and reading attitude suggests that reading instruction should encourage more independent reading in class. Based on previous research and the present findings, school administrators and reading educators should give a high priority to independent reading when scheduling time for reading instruction. In order to facilitate students’ independent reading, it may be also important for teachers to teach explicitly skills and strategies in relation to reading comprehension. In fact, teaching reading skills and strategies will improve individual students’ reading ability and enlarge peer influence in a school.