Reading Self-Concept and Reading Anxiety in Second Grade Children: The Roles of Word Reading, Emergent Literacy Skills, Working Memory and Gender.

Tami Katzir,Shahar Dotan,Young-Suk G. Kim

doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2018.01180

Tami Katzir, Shahar Dotan + Show 1 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2018.01180

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Abstract

Background: Most studies in the field of reading have focused on the linguistic and cognitive factors. Less is known about the affective aspects of reading in young readers, such as self-perceptions of reading, and reading anxiety.Aims: This study aimed to shed light on the direct and indirect relations between reading and related skills (working memory, emergent literacy skills, word reading accuracy and rate, and gender) as sources of reading affect (reading self-concept and anxiety).Sample: A total of 115 Hebrew speaking second graders participated in this study.Methods: A set of measures assessing reading accuracy and rate, emergent literacy skills (phonological fluency, rapid automatized naming and working memory) and reading affect questionnaires (reading self-concept and reading anxiety) were administered to the participants.Results: Path analysis was used as the primary analytic approach. Results indicated a negative moderate relation between reading self-concept and reading anxiety. The relations of working memory and emergent literacy to reading self-concept and reading anxiety were indirect via word reading accuracy and reading rate. Girls reported higher reading anxiety and lower reading self-concept, despite higher performance in reading accuracy and no difference in reading rate.Conclusion: The current results support the importance of examining reading affect and potential sources of reading affect. Results suggest that reading self-concept and reading anxiety and their related skills should be considered in designing reading intervention and instructions.

Highlights

Reading development involves complex interactive and dynamic processes among language, cognition, and affect
Reading Self-Concept and Anxiety we address this gap in the literature by focusing on two affective aspects in reading, reading self-concept and reading related anxiety, in young children
We examined whether boys and girls have differential reading self-concept and reading anxiety after accounting for word reading skills, working memory, and emergent literacy skills

Summary

Introduction

Reading development involves complex interactive and dynamic processes among language, cognition, and affect. Most studies in the field of reading have focused on the linguistic and cognitive factors; and less is known about the basis of affective aspects of reading in young readers, such as self-perceptions of reading (Kasperski et al, 2016). We examined potential factors that influence reading affect by investigating the relations of working memory, emergent literacy skills, reading accuracy and rate, and gender to reading self-concept and reading anxiety. Aims: This study aimed to shed light on the direct and indirect relations between reading and related skills (working memory, emergent literacy skills, word reading accuracy and rate, and gender) as sources of reading affect (reading self-concept and anxiety). The relations of working memory and emergent literacy to reading self-concept and reading anxiety were indirect via word reading accuracy and reading rate. Results suggest that reading self-concept and reading anxiety and their related skills should be considered in designing reading intervention and instructions

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Discussion

Conclusion