The Impact of Zoology One on Reading Motivation and Reading Interests by Gender

• In Event: Factors That Optimize the Impact of Educational Programs and Interventions on Academic Outcomes in K–12 Settings: Mathematics, Literacy, Science, and Language Acquisition

Abstract

Zoology One: Kindergarten Research Labs, an integrated literacy and science curriculum for kindergarten, had potentially transformational impacts on students’ self-reported reading motivation and reading interests. In a multi-site cluster randomized controlled trial, the impact of Zoology One on overall self-reported reading motivation, as measured by the Kindergarten Reading Motivation Scale, was +.38 standard deviations higher for the treatment group compared to the control group. For participants of Zoology One, the gender gap difference in self-reported reading motivation levels was narrowed, and participants were also less likely to give gender-linked stereotypical response to a question regarding their reading interests.

Authors

• Wendy Castillo, Overdeck Family Foundation

• Abigail Gray, University of Pennsylvania