Explore the vast range of titles available.

In line with the Matthew-effect in reading, reading comprehension and leisure time reading tend to be reciprocally related. Whereas prior research invested much efforts in the identification and description of variables explaining individual differences in reading comprehension, less efforts were spend on the exploration of variables important for the development of leisure time reading. This study focuses on family literacy activities in preschool age – joint book reading, joint library visits, and the teaching of letters – and how these relate to the children’ s later leisure time reading and reading comprehension. Furthermore, the role of parents’ education is considered. Empirical findings are based on a sample of N = 1.242 children from the National Education Panel Study (NEPS). Joint book reading and joint library visits in families, both aspects of informal literacy activities, predicted leisure time reading of children in Grade 4, which was related to their reading comprehension. In addition, disparities with regard to parents’ education were found. The results are discussed against the background of ways to promote children’s leisure time reading and practical implications are derived.

The idea of Matthew effects in reading—the widening achievement gap between good and poor readers—has attracted considerable attention in education research in the past 25 years. Despite the popularity of the topic, however, empirical studies that have analyzed the core assumption of Matthew effects in reading have produced inconsistent results. This review summarizes the empirical findings on the development of early interindividual differences in reading. We did not find strong support for the general validity of a pattern of widening achievement differences or for a pattern of decreasing achievement differences in reading. The inclusion of moderating variables, however, allowed a clearer picture to be painted. Matthew effects were more likely to occur for measures of decoding efficiency, vocabulary, and composite reading scores when the achievement tests were not affected by deficits in measurement precision. Furthermore, moderators such as the applied analytic method or the orthographic consistency of the language were of less importance for the emergence of Matthew effects in reading. An additional meta-analysis of studies reporting correlations between a baseline level and a growth parameter yielded a small, negative mean correlation (r = -.214), which again was moderated by properties of the measures. Possible explanations for the reported findings are discussed.

In comparison with younger children, older students tend to be less motivated to read. A literature class that fails to motivate students is one aspect that has often been discussed in this regard. Using data from 405 German ninth graders, we examined how students’ book reading is related to intrinsic situational and intrinsic habitual reading motivation in and out of school. The books that students reported to have read were characterized by LIX readability and text type. Our results first showed that recreational reading motivation exceeded school reading motivation. Second, the reading of classic literature was a negative predictor of intrinsic situational reading motivation. Third, in the school context, students who read more difficult books were less motivated to read them. Fourth, analyses showed that individual book-reading experiences were linked to intrinsic habitual reading motivation. We discuss practical implications for book reading in and out of the literature class.

Reading self-concept is an important predictor of reading comprehension and vice versa. However, the mechanisms that are at work in this relation have yet to be identified. In line with the self-enhancement approach, we propose that in the reading domain, amount of reading, book choice (text difficulty and book length), and intrinsic reading motivation should function as mediating variables in the relation between reading self-concept and reading comprehension. We tested this hypothesis with longitudinal data gathered from N = 405 German students in Grades 7, 8, and 9. The results showed that reading self-concept had a positive effect on reading comprehension, intrinsic motivation, book length, and amount of reading. However, indirect paths between reading self-concept and reading comprehension were found only for intrinsic motivation, not for amount of reading or book choice. The results are discussed in the context of students’ reading comprehension development, and consequences for research and education are derived.

Academic Risk-Taking (ART) is a type of student behavioral engagement characterized by uncertainty regarding the outcome. Students for example share their ideas on difficult topics during class. When taking academic risks, students are confronted with the possibility of being perceived as less competent by others. Students and instructors ascribe a beneficial effect to ART, and ART may foster academic achievement by promoting deep learning. Still, research shows that students avoid taking academic risks. This phenomenon is largely unexplained and there is only little research on ART in the context of higher education. This may be due to a lack of short survey instruments. This study addresses this issue by proposing an extensive self-report measure to evaluate students' general (G-ART) as well as seminar-specific ART (S-ART). First results indicate that two dimensions of ART, seminar group and peer context, may be differentiated. The third dimension of instructor context shows low consistency and needs to be revised. Possible applications of the scale include closer exploration of the nature of the construct ART regarding stability over time and different contexts. The instrument enables analyzing possible social and gender disparities as well as the relationship between seminar characteristics, ART, and academic achievement. (DIPF/Orig.) Akademische Risikobereitschaft (ART) ist eine Form der behavioralen Partizipation und wird durch die Unsicherheit Studierender bezüglich des Ergebnisses einer Lernsituation charakterisiert. Dies ist beispielsweise der Fall, wenn Studierende während Seminaren ihre Ideen zu schwierigen Themen teilen. Gehen Studierende akademische Risiken ein, sind sie mit der Möglichkeit konfrontiert, von anderen als weniger kompetent wahrgenommen zu werden. Studierende und Dozierende schreiben ART einen lernförderlichen Effekt zu und ART kann durch die Unterstützung tiefen Lernens positiv auf akademischen Erfolg wirken. Dennoch werden akademische Risiken von Studierenden gemieden. Dieses Phänomen ist weitgehend unerklärt, es existiert nur wenig Forschung zu ART im Hochschulbereich. Dies kann auf einen Mangel an simplen Erhebungsinstrumenten zurückzuführen sein. Die vorliegende Studie befasst sich mit diesem Problem durch die Entwicklung eines umfassenden Selbstauskunftsinstruments, das ART sowohl in allgemeinen (G-ART) als auch in seminarspezifischen (S-ART) Kontexten erfasst. Erste Ergebnisse deuten auf die Differenzierung von zwei Dimensionen hin: Seminargruppe und Peer-Kontext. Die dritte Dimension, der Dozentenkontext, weist eine geringe Konsistenz auf und benötigt weitere Überarbeitung. Mögliche Anwendungen der Skala umfassen die nähere Untersuchung der Beschaffenheit des Konstrukts ART hinsichtlich der Stabilität über die Zeit und verschiedene Kontexte hinweg, die Analyse möglicher sozialer und geschlechtsspezifischer Disparitäten sowie die Beziehung zu Seminarcharakteristika und akademischem Erfolg. (DIPF/Orig.)

Academic Risk-Taking (ART) is a type of student behavioral engagement characterized by uncertainty regarding the outcome. Students for example share their ideas on difficult topics during class. When taking academic risks, students are confronted with the possibility of being perceived as less competent by others. Students and instructors ascribe a beneficial effect to ART, and ART may foster academic achievement by promoting deep learning. Still, research shows that students avoid taking academic risks. This phenomenon is largely unexplained and there is only little research on ART in the context of higher education. This may be due to a lack of short survey instruments. This study addresses this issue by proposing an extensive self-report measure to evaluate students' general (G-ART) as well as seminar-specific ART (S-ART). First results indicate that two dimensions of ART, seminar group and peer context, may be differentiated. The third dimension of instructor context shows low consistency and needs to be revised. Possible applications of the scale include closer exploration of the nature of the construct ART regarding stability over time and different contexts. The instrument enables analyzing possible social and gender disparities as well as the relationship between seminar characteristics, ART, and academic achievement.

Akademische Risikobereitschaft (ART) ist eine Form der behavioralen Partizipation und wird durch die Unsicherheit Studierender bezüglich des Ergebnisses einer Lernsituation charakterisiert. Dies ist beispielsweise der Fall, wenn Studierende während Seminaren ihre Ideen zu schwierigen Themen teilen. Gehen Studierende akademische Risiken ein, sind sie mit der Möglichkeit konfrontiert, von anderen als weniger kompetent wahrgenommen zu werden. Studierende und Dozierende schreiben ART einen lernförderlichen Effekt zu und ART kann durch die Unterstützung tiefen Lernens positiv auf akademischen Erfolg wirken. Dennoch werden akademische Risiken von Studierenden gemieden. Dieses Phänomen ist weitgehend unerklärt, es existiert nur wenig Forschung zu ART im Hochschulbereich. Dies kann auf einen Mangel an simplen Erhebungsinstrumenten zurückzuführen sein. Die vorliegende Studie befasst sich mit diesem Problem durch die Entwicklung eines umfassenden Selbstauskunftsinstruments, das ART sowohl in allgemeinen (G-ART) als auch in seminarspezifischen (S-ART) Kontexten erfasst. Erste Ergebnisse deuten auf die Differenzierung von zwei Dimensionen hin: Seminargruppe und Peer-Kontext. Die dritte Dimension, der Dozentenkontext, weist eine geringe Konsistenz auf und benötigt weitere Überarbeitung. Mögliche Anwendungen der Skala umfassen die nähere Untersuchung der Beschaffenheit des Konstrukts ART hinsichtlich der Stabilität über die Zeit und verschiedene Kontexte hinweg, die Analyse möglicher sozialer und geschlechtsspezifischer Disparitäten sowie die Beziehung zu Seminarcharakteristika und akademischem Erfolg.

The article Mechanisms mediating the relation between reading self-concept and reading comprehension , written by Franziska Maria Locher, Sarah Becker, Irene Schiefer, and Maximilian Pfost, was originally published electronically on the publisher’s internet portal on 23 January 2020 without open access.

The present study investigates the relationship between teacher judgment accuracy and the development of students' reading and mathematical competence and whether this relationship is moderated by instructional variables. Longitudinal data were obtained from a sample of 502 students and their 40 German language and 29 mathematics teachers in the context of the BiKS-study (measurement points: at the end of grade 5 and 6). Teacher judgment accuracy was measured by a task-specific hit rate and the rank order component in the domains of reading and mathematics. German language and mathematics teachers showed a moderate hit rate. For the rank order component, we found a mean correlation of = .19 in the domain of reading and = .44 in the domain of mathematics. Multilevel analyses revealed that the task-specific hit rate had a significant positive relationship with the development of students' reading competence, but it was not related to the development of students' mathematical competence. Furthermore, the significant relationship of teachers' task-specific hit rate was moderated by instructional variables such as teachers' use of individualization and structuring cues. For the rank order component, no significant positive relationships or interactions were found in the domains of reading and mathematics. [PUBLICATION ABSTRACT]

In der vorliegenden Arbeit wird untersucht, ob die diagnostische Kompetenz von Sekundarstufenlehrkräften mit der Leistungsentwicklung von Schülerinnen und Schülern im Lesen und im Rechnen zusammenhängt und inwieweit dies durch Unterrichtsvariablen moderiert wird. Datenbasis ist eine Stichprobe von 502 Schülerinnen und Schülern sowie deren 40 Deutsch- und 29 Mathematiklehrkräfte, die zu zwei Messzeitpunkten (am Ende der 5. Und 6. Jahrgangsstufe) im Rahmen der BiKS-Studie untersucht wurden. Der aufgabenspezifische Treffer und die Rangordnungskomponente werden als Indikatoren für die diagnostische Kompetenz der Lehrkräfte herangezogen. Die Ergebnisse zeigen, dass die Deutsch- und Mathematiklehrkräfte eine mittelhohe Trefferquote auf weisen (aufgabenspezifische Treffer). Für die Rangordnungskomponente fallen die durchschnittlichen Korrelationen mit r = .19 für den Bereich Lesen und r = .44 für den Bereich Rechnen vergleichsweise niedrig aus. Darüber hinaus ergeben die durchgeführten Mehrebenenanalysen einen signifikanten positiven Zusammenhang des aufgabenspezifischen Treffers mit der Entwicklung der Lesekompetenz, aber nicht mit der Entwicklung der mathematischen Kompetenz der Schülerinnen und Schüler. Allerdings zeigt sich, dass der Zusammenhang zwischen dem aufgabenspezifischen Treffer und der Lesekompetenzentwicklung durch Unterrichtsvariablen (Individualisierung, Strukturierungshilfen) moderiert wird. Für die Rangordnungskomponente konnten keine signifikanten positiven Zusammenhänge bzw. Wechselwirkungen für die beiden Bereiche nachgewiesen werden. (DIPF/Orig.). The present study investigates the relationship between teacher judgment accuracy and the development of students' reading and mathematical competence and whether this relationship is moderated by instructional variables. Longitudinal data were obtained from a sample of 502 students and their 40 German language and 29 mathematics teachers in the context of the BiKS study (measurement points: at the end of grades 5 and 6). Teacher judgment accuracy was measured by a task-specific hit rate and the rank order component in the domains of reading and mathematics. German language and mathematics teachers showed a moderate hit rate. For the rank order component, we found a mean correlation of r = .19 in the domain of reading and r = .44 in the domain of mathematics. Multilevel analyses revealed that the task-specific hit rate had a significant positive relationship with the development of students' reading competence, but it was not related to the development of students' mathematical competence. Furthermore, the significant relationship of teachers' task-specific hit rate was moderated by instructional variables such as teachers' use of individualization and structuring cues. For the rank order component, no significant positive relationships or interactions were found in the domains of reading and mathematics. (DIPF/Orig.).