Enjoyment of Reading as a Predictor of Reading Achievement: New Evidence From a Cross-Country Survey

• In Event: Poster Session 5
  In Poster Session: Literacy Research Issues in the 21st Century

Abstract

This study investigated the effect of enjoyment of reading on reading achievement using a cross-country sample of 65 countries. Our results indicate that although enjoyment of reading is a significant predictor of reading achievement and can explain as much as 18% of the variation in such achievement on its own at country-level, there are significant cross-country differences in the pattern of this relationship. Our main finding is that after controlling for demographic differences such as gender and socioeconomic status, enjoyment of reading is positively associated with reading achievement in developed countries and negatively associated with such achievement in less development countries.

Keywords: Reading achievement, reading enjoyment, PISA, country comparison, international assessment

Author

• Jehanzeb Cheema, University of Baltimore