The reading preferences of 13-year-old boys and girls were examined to identify the factors determining reading achievement. Students from each Canadian province and one territory (N = 20,094) completed a questionnaire on, among others, the types of in-class reading activities. T-test results indicate that the boys spent more time reading textbooks, magazines, newspapers, Internet articles and electronic encyclopedias, while the girls read more novels, fiction, informative or nonfiction texts, and books from the school or local libraries. Logistical regression shows that reading achievement for both sexes was determined by identical reading preferences: reading novels, informative texts, and books from the school library, as well as level of interest in the class reading material and participation in the discussions on what was read in class.
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Bozack, A. (2011). Reading between the lines: Motives, beliefs and achievement in adolescent boys. The High School Journal, 94, 58-76. doi:10.1353/hsj.2011.0001
Burgess, S. R., & Jones K. K. (2010). Reading and media habits of college students varying by sex and remedial status. College Student Journal, 44, 492-508.
Calvin, C. M., Fernandes, C., Smith, P., Visscher, P. M., & Deary, I. J. (2010). Sex, intelligence and educational achievement in a national cohort of over 175,000 11-year-old schoolchildren in England. Intel ligence, 38, 424-432. doi:10.1016/j.intell.2010.04.005
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Clanet, J. (2010). The relationship between teaching practices and stu dent achievement in first year classes: A comparative study of small size and standard size classes. European Journal of Psychology of Education, 25, 192-206. doi:10.1007/s10212-010-0012-y
Coddington, C. S., & Guthrie, J. T. (2009). Teacher and student percep tions of boys’ and girls’ reading motivation. Reading Psychology, 30, 225-249. doi:10.1080/02702710802275371
Davila, D., & Patrick, L. (2010). Asking the experts: What children have to say about their reading preferences. Language Arts, 87, 199-210.
Farris, P. J., Werderich, D. E., Nelson, P. A., & Fuhler, C. J. (2009). Male call: Fifth-grade boys’ reading preferences. The Reading Tea cher, 63, 180-188. doi:10.1598/RT.63.3.1
Gibson, S. (2010). Critical readings: African American girls and urban fiction. Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy, 53, 565-574. doi:10.1598/JAAL.53.7.4
Giordano, L. (2011). Making sure our reading clicks. Reading Teacher, 64, 612-619. doi:10.1598/RT.64.8.7
Hairrell, A., Rupley, W. H., Edmonds, M., Larsen, R., Simmons, D., Will son, V., Byrns, G., & Vaughn, S. (2011). Examining the impact of teacher quality on fourth-grade students’ comprehension and content area achievement. Reading & Writing Quarterly, 27, 239-260. doi:10.1080/10573569.2011.560486
Haworth, C., Dale, S., & Plomin, R. (2010). Sex differences in school science performance from middle childhood to early adolescence. International Journal for Educational Research, 49, 92-101. doi:10.1016/j.ijer.2010.09.003
Jenkins, S. (2009). How to maintain school reading success: Five rec ommendations from a struggling male reader. The Reading Teacher, 63, 159-162. doi:10.1598/RT.63.2.7
Koss, M. D., & Teale, W. H. (2009). What’s happening in young adult literature? Trends in books for adolescents, Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy, 52, 563-572. doi:10.1598/JAAL.52.7.2
Lai, F. (2010). Are boys left behind? The evolution of the gender achievement gap in Beijing’s middle schools. Economics of Educa tion Review, 29, 383-399. doi:10.1016/j.econedurev.2009.07.009
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Lopez, O. S. (2010). The digital learning classroom: Improving English language learners’ academic success in mathematics and reading us ing interactive whiteboard technology. Computers & Education, 54, 901-915. doi:10.1016/j.compedu.2009.09.019
Means, B. (2010). Technology and education change: Focus on student learning. Journal of Research on Technology in Education, 42, 285 307.
Meller, W. B., Richardson, D., & Hatch, J. A. (2009). Using read-alouds with critical literature in K-3 classrooms. Young Children, 64, 76-78.
Meyer, K. E. (2010). A collaborative approach to reading workshop in the middle years. Reading Teacher, 63, 501-507. doi:10.1598/RT.63.6.7
Moeller, R. A. (2011). Aren’t these boy books? High school students’ readings of gender in graphic novels. Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy, 54, 476-484. doi:10.1598/JAAL.54.7.1
Logan, S., & Medford, E. (2011). Gender differences in the strength of association between motivation, competency beliefs and reading skill. Educational Research, 53, 85-94. doi:10.1080/00131881.2011.552242
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Palumbo, A., & Sanacore, J. (2009). Helping struggling middle school literacy learners achieve success. Clearing House: A Journal of Edu cational Strategies, Issues and Ideas, 82, 275-280. doi:10.3200/TCHS.82.6.275-280
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Sanacore, J., & Palumbo, A. (2010). Middle school students need more opportunities to read across the curriculum. Clearing House: A Jour nal of Educational Strategies, Issues and Ideas, 83, 180-185. doi:10.1080/00098650903583735
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