Literacy interest and reader self-concept when formal reading instruction begins

• Published in: Early childhood research quarterly Vol. 44; pp. 90 - 100
• Main Authors: Walgermo, Bente R., Frijters, Jan C., Solheim, Oddny Judith
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Elsevier Inc 01.01.2018
• Subjects: Early reading motivation; Emergent literacy skills; Literacy interest; Reader self-concept; School starters; School starters; Emergent literacy skills; Literacy interest; Early reading motivation; Reader self-concept
• ISSN: 0885-2006; 1873-7706
• DOI: 10.1016/j.ecresq.2018.03.002

•Literacy interest and reader self-concept when formal reading instruction begins.•Generally high interest in literacy related activities.•Level of reader self-concept was related to level of reading skill.•High literacy interest was related to strong reader self-concept across skill-level. The present study examines the associations among literacy interest, reader self-concept and emergent literacy skills at the very start of formal reading instruction in 1171 five- and six-year-olds. The results indicate that emergent literacy skills are directly related to reader self-concept but not to literacy interest. Further, interest moderated the relationship between emergent skills and self-concept. School starters with high literacy interest demonstrated strong reader self-concept, even if their emergent literacy skills were poor. These results suggest that the early motivational dynamics associated with the emergence of reading skill may be more complex than previous research has found them to be. The observed dynamics may have implications for the emergence of reading skill during this specific period of changing developmental context.