Media use and children's reading performance

Abstract

This study explores the impact of leisure reading and television on children's development of reading skills among Dutch second- ( N=505) and fourth-graders ( N=515). Controlled for intelligence, sex, and parents' educational attainment level, multiple regression analyses show that the frequencies with which children read books and comics contribute positively to the prediction of both decoding skills (Grade 2 and 4) and reading comprehension (Grade 4). Although the reading of television program subtitles appears to add positively to the prediction of decoding skills, viewing frequency is negatively related to reading performance. Apparently, the beneficial effect of reading subtitles is annulled because watching television, through other mechanisms, hinders the development of children's reading performance.