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Journal of Research in Reading

Volume 38, Issue 1
Original Article

Sex or gender identity? Understanding children's reading choices and motivation

Sarah P. McGeown

Corresponding Author

Psychology Department, University of Hull, , UK

Address for correspondence: Sarah P. McGeown, Psychology Department, University of Hull, Hull HU6 7RX, UK. E‐mail:

S.P.McGeown@hull.ac.uk

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First published: 27 November 2012
https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-9817.2012.01546.x
Cited by: 6

Abstract

The extent to which children's reading choices could be predicted by their motivation and gender identity was examined. Two hundred and twenty‐three children (average age 9 years 11 months) completed questionnaires measuring book reading choices, reading motivation, gender identity (identification with masculine and feminine traits) and a standardised reading assessment. Sex differences were found in children's reading motivation and reading choices. In addition, feminine traits were more closely associated with reading motivation and engagement with neutral books compared to masculine traits. Whilst children's sex predicted their choice of reading male‐ or female‐orientated books, the extent to which they identified with feminine traits was a better predictor in choice of neutral books. Results are discussed in relation to previous research examining sex differences in children's reading choices. In addition, implications for reading activities and choice of books available at school are discussed.

Number of times cited: 6

  • Diane Barone and Rebecca Barone, “I Never Thought I Would Read This Much”: Becoming a Reader, The Educational Forum, 82, 1, (21), (2018).
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  • Andreas Sander, Annika Ohle-Peters, Ilonca Hardy and Nele McElvany, Die Effektivität schriftlicher und kombiniert auditiv-schriftlicher Wortschatzfördermaßnahmen bei Kindern mit nichtdeutscher HerkunftsspracheThe efficacy of vocabulary promotion in students with a non-German first language – a comparison of written and combined auditory-written formats, Zeitschrift für Erziehungswissenschaft, 10.1007/s11618-018-0815-1, 21, 5, (951-971), (2018).
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  • Stig-Börje Asplund and Héctor Pérez Prieto, Young working-class men do not read: or do they? Challenging the dominant discourse of reading, Gender and Education, 10.1080/09540253.2017.1303825, 30, 8, (1048-1064), (2017).
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  • Laura Scholes, Working-class boys’ relationships with reading: contextual systems that support working-class boys’ engagement with, and enjoyment of, reading, Gender and Education, 10.1080/09540253.2018.1533921, (1-18), (2018).
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  • Deborah Bergman Deitcher, Helen Johnson and Dorit Aram, Does book genre matter? Boys' and girls' word learning from narrative and informational books in the preschool years, Journal of Research in Reading, , (2018).
    Wiley Online Library