Reading self-perceived ability, enjoyment and achievement: A genetically informative study of their reciprocal links over time.

Abstract

Extant literature has established a consistent association between aspects of reading motivation, such as enjoyment and self-perceived ability, and reading achievement, in that more motivated readers are generally more skilled readers. However, the developmental etiology of this relation is yet to be investigated. The present study explores the development of the motivation–achievement association and its genetic and environmental underpinnings. Applying cross-lagged design in a sample of 13,825 twins, we examined the relative contribution of genetic and environmental factors to the association between reading enjoyment and self-perceived ability and reading achievement. Children completed a reading comprehension task and self-reported their reading enjoyment and perceived ability twice in middle childhood: when they were 9–10 and 12 years old. Results showed a modest reciprocal association over time between reading motivation (enjoyment and perceived ability) and reading achievement. Reading motivation at age 9–10 statistically predicted the development of later achievement, and similarly, reading achievement at age 9–10 predicted the development of later motivation. This reciprocal association was observed beyond the stability of the variables and their contemporaneous correlation and was largely explained by genetic factors.

Adolescents' enjoyment of reading as a predictor of reading achievement: new evidence from a cross‐country survey

“…They reported slightly different results for the eighth grade with reading achievement weakly correlated with enjoyment of reading, r = .22; and moderately correlated with reading self-efficacy, r = .35 and socio-economic status, r = .32. Similar gender and age effects on enjoyment of reading are supported by relatively recent studies such as Brozo et al (2014), Guthrie and Wigfield (2000), Hochweber and Vieluf (2018), Malanchini et al (2017) and Loveless (2015).…”

“…Several past studies have investigated and reported the link between enjoyment of reading and reading achievement (Clark & Douglas, 2011;Froiland & Oros, 2014;Howie et al, 2017;Malanchini et al, 2017;Wang & Guthrie, 2004). It has been proposed that enjoyment of reading is associated with cognition and comprehension, is an indicator of reading interest and reading involvement and is a component of intrinsic motivation which can affect reading achievement (Brozo et al, 2014;Chapman & Tunmer, 1995;Guthrie et al, 2007;Schiefele, Schaffner, Möller, & Wigfield, 2012).…”

“…It has been proposed that enjoyment of reading is associated with cognition and comprehension, is an indicator of reading interest and reading involvement and is a component of intrinsic motivation which can affect reading achievement (Brozo et al, 2014;Chapman & Tunmer, 1995;Guthrie et al, 2007;Schiefele, Schaffner, Möller, & Wigfield, 2012). Furthermore, it has been suggested that as an attitude towards reading, enjoyment of reading decreases as students become older (Clark & Douglas, 2011;Eley, 2001;Malanchini et al, 2017;Smith, Smith, Gilmore, & Jameson, 2012). McKenna, Kear and Ellsworth (1995) propose that one reason for this decline is the introduction of competing activities regarded as fun that compete with time spent on reading.…”

“…Attitude towards reading is a complex construct that composes of elements such as prevailing feelings about reading, action readiness for reading and evaluative beliefs about reading (Chapman & Tunmer, 1995;Guthrie et al, 2007;McKenna, Conradi, Lawrence, Jang, & Meyer, 2012;Muijs, 1997). Prior research suggests that intrinsic motivation, a term that is sometimes used as a synonym for enjoyment of reading in some past studies, is a strong predictor of reading engagement which in turn influences reading achievement (Clark & De Zoysa, 2011;Cox & Guthrie, 2001;Guthrie & Wigfield, 2000;Malanchini et al, 2017;Salikin, Bin-Tahir, Kusumaningputri, & Yuliandari, 2017). Motivation itself is a complex multidimensional concept composing of elements such as self-efficacy, interest, preference for challenge and social interaction (Baker & Wigfield, 1999;Metsäpelto et al, 2017;Morgan & Fuchs, 2007;Ryan & Deci, 2000;Swalander & Taube, 2007;Seitz, 2010;Stutz, Schaffner, & Schiefele, 2017).…”

Investigating the Genetic Architecture of Non-Cognitive Skills Using GWAS-by-Subtraction

“…Nevertheless, statistical separation of NonCog from Cog, although artificial, allows us to test if heritable traits other than cognitive ability influence educational attainment and to explore what those traits may be. Our finding that NonCog genetics account for roughly half of all genetic variance in EA should motivate future longitudinal studies to collect repeated measures of cognitive and non-cognitive skills in order to study their reciprocal relationship across development 83,84 .…”