Multiple dimensions of adolescents’ reading attitudes and their relationship with reading comprehension

Abstract

Despite a growing research base that explores motivational constructs in reading and their relationship to achievement, nuanced questions remain. The present study examines the complex relationships among attitudes, proficiency, grade, and gender. Attitudes were differentiated by purpose (recreational vs. academic) and medium (digital vs. print), and a survey comprising those four subscales was administered to 586 Korean adolescents. Results showed that attitudes toward Recreational Print, Academic Print, and Academic Digital reading are positively associated while attitudes toward Recreational Digital reading are negatively associated with the other three attitudes. We also found that reading attitudes significantly predicted reading comprehension scores. We discuss these results and suggest implications for adolescent literacy instruction.