A study of the relationships among grade fours' reader self-perceptions, reading ability, parental self-efficacy, parental role construction, child development beliefs, and gender

Phillips, Jennifer (2002) A study of the relationships among grade fours' reader self-perceptions, reading ability, parental self-efficacy, parental role construction, child development beliefs, and gender. Masters thesis, Memorial University of Newfoundland.

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Abstract

This study investigated the relationships among mothers' and fathers' child development beliefs, role construction, self-efficacy, and grade four children's reader self-perceptions (self-concept, social feedback, physiological states, observational comparisons, and progress), reading achievement (comprehension and vocabulary) and gender. The study consisted of 67 children and 81 parents who had been involved in a literacy project for one year. The study was conducted in the province of Newfoundland and Labrador. -- Five surveys were used in this study: Reader Self-perception Scale (RSPS) (Henk & Melnick, 1995), Gates and MacGinitie Reading Test (Gates and MacGinitie, 1992), Questionnaire for Parents (Oldford-Matchim and Singh, 2002), Parents' Child Development Beliefs (Oldford-Matchim and Singh, 2002), and the Parental Role Construction Survey (Oldford-Matchim and Singh, 2002). The Pearson-Product - Moment Method and ANOVA were used to determine relationships in the data and to identify significant differences in scores. -- Significant positive relationships were found between aspects of children's reader self-perceptions (observational comparisons, progress, physiological states, and total scores) and aspects of children's reading achievement (comprehension scores and vocabulary scores) and children's gender. Boys' reader self-perceptions (observational comparisons, progress, physiological states, and total self-perception scores) were found to be significantly related to boys' reading achievement. Significant relationships for girls' reader self-perceptions and girls' reading achievement were not found to exist. Girls had significantly higher self-perceptions of physiological states, social feedback, total self-perception scores, and self-concept than boys. No significant differences existed between boys' and girls' reading achievement scores. -- A significant positive relationship was found to exist between fathers' self- efficacy and girls' self-perceptions of progress. No significant relationships were found to exist between mothers' and fathers' self-efficacy and children's reading achievement. -- Significant positive and negative relationships were found to exist between mothers' and fathers' parental child development beliefs and children's reading achievement. The one significant negative correlation that existed was between a fathers' child development belief and children's comprehension scores. Significant positive relationships were found to exist between mothers' child development beliefs and aspects of girls' and boys' reading achievement, as well as fathers' child development beliefs and girls' aspects of reading achievement. A variety of significant positive relationships were also found to exist between mothers' and fathers' child development beliefs and aspects of girls' and boys' reader self-perceptions. -- Significant differences were found between mothers' and father's self-efficacy; a child development belief stating that children learn to read better when parents and teachers respect their curiosity and questions about stories, print and reading; and between boys' and girls' perceptions of physiological states, social feedback, total self- perceptions scores and general self-concept. -- This study has revealed that parents' child development beliefs, parental role construction, parental self-efficacy, children's reading achievement, children's self- perceptions of reading and gender are related. This study has provided an understanding of the variables that are related to children's reading achievement. It has also revealed important information concerning the impact parents' beliefs, roles and self-efficacy has on their children's reading achievement and how their children perceive their own reading ability.

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