ERIC Number: ED574312
Record Type: Non-Journal
Publication Date: 2015-Dec
Pages: 11
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-2215-0196
EISSN: N/A
Is Reading Contagious? Examining Parents' and Children's Reading Attitudes and Behaviors. Policy Brief No. 9
Stephens, Maria; Erberber, Ebru; Tsokodayi, Yemurai; Kroeger, Teresa; Ferguson, Sharlyn
International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement
When children have positive reading attitudes and behaviors, they generally also demonstrate strong reading skills. Strong reading skills enable children to access and learn content in a variety of subjects and reap a host of other academic and nonacademic benefits. Thus, it is of fundamental importance to ensure that children are motivated to read from an early age. One especially strong influence in children's lives is their parents. This brief examines whether parents' reading attitudes and behaviors are shared by their children. It looks specifically at the extent to which children enjoy reading and read frequently for fun when their parents also do so and whether it is more common for some children (boys or girls, or children with more or less educated parents) to share their parents' positive attitudes and behaviors. Though it cannot be said with certainty if or how parents pass their positive reading attitudes and behaviors on to their children, results do lend some credence to the idea that the "reading bug" might be contagious. Drawing on data on 4th-grade students from the 2011 Progress in International Reading Literacy Study (PIRLS), this brief can inform policy efforts to promote positive reading attitudes and behaviors in children.
Descriptors: Parent Student Relationship, Reading Attitudes, Student Attitudes, Parent Attitudes, Reading Skills, Reading Interests, Reading Motivation, Reading Habits, Literature Appreciation, Achievement Tests, Foreign Countries, Grade 4, Reading Achievement, International Assessment, Reading Tests, Child Behavior, Gender Differences, Educational Attainment, Parent Background
International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement. Herengracht 487, Amsterdam, 1017 BT, The Netherlands. Tel: +31-20-625-3625; Fax: +31-20-420-7136; e-mail: department@iea.nl; Web site: http://www.iea.nl
Publication Type: Reports - Research
Education Level: Grade 4; Intermediate Grades; Elementary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement (IEA) (Netherlands); American Institutes for Research (AIR)
Identifiers - Assessments and Surveys: Progress in International Reading Literacy Study; International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement Tests
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A