The influences of gender, reading ability, independent reading, and context on reading attitude: A multilevel analysis of Hong Kong data from PIRLS

Abstract

The reading scores of 4712 Hong Kong primary Grade 4 students in the 2006 Progress in International Reading Literacy Study were analyzed alongside (a) information about their gender, reading ability, independent reading practices, and attitudes towards reading; (b) parental reading attitudes and home educational resources; and (c) the way the students were taught to read in school and the school's overall reading achievement index. Multilevel analyses were carried out to model the relationship between the student characteristics and home and school contextual factors and reading attitude. It was found that the students' reading attitudes reflected the influence of the student's gender, reading ability, and independent reading practices and that parental reading attitudes and home educational resources made significant contributions to the students' reading attitudes. Moreover, teaching the students reading skills explicitly and the school's overall reading attainment were positively related to the students' reading attitudes. The significance of the findings is examined and the educational implications are explored and discussed.