Kindergarten self-control mediates the gender reading achievement gap: A population-based cohort study

Daly, Michael; Corcoran, Roisin P.

Abstract

Could superior self-control explain the gender difference in reading achievement favoring girls? To test this idea, we drew on a unique population-based sample (N = 11,336) where self-control was measured in kindergarten using a multimethod battery of assessments. Girls showed substantially higher levels of self-control in kindergarten (β = 0.47) and outperformed boys on standardized tests of reading achievement in third/fourth grade (β = 0.20). Further, kindergarten self-control prospectively predicted reading achievement throughout elementary school (β = 0.37). Connecting these findings, our mediation analyses revealed that the female self-control advantage in kindergarten could account for subsequent gender differences in reading achievement. Our results suggest that early gender differences in self-control may represent a key pathway through which gender disparities in reading skills, vocabulary knowledge, and reading comprehension occur.

Citation

Daly, M., & Corcoran, R. P. (2019). Kindergarten self-control mediates the gender reading achievement gap: A population-based cohort study. Journal of Research in Personality, 83, 1-5. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jrp.2019.103881

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Sep 27, 2019
• Online Publication Date: Sep 28, 2019
• Publication Date: 2019-12
• Deposit Date: Dec 10, 2019
• Publicly Available Date: Sep 29, 2021
• Journal: Journal of Research in Personality
• Print ISSN: 0092-6566
• Electronic ISSN: 1095-7251
• Publisher: Elsevier
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 83
• Article Number: 103881
• Pages: 1-5
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jrp.2019.103881
• Keywords: Self-control; Self-regulation; Academic achievement; Sex differences; Reading; Social and emotional learning (SEL)
• Public URL: https://nottingham-repository.worktribe.com/output/3224966
• Publisher URL: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0092656619301023
• Additional Information: This article is maintained by: Elsevier; Article Title: Kindergarten self-control mediates the gender reading achievement gap: A population-based cohort study; Journal Title: Journal of Research in Personality; CrossRef DOI link to publisher maintained version: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jrp.2019.103881; Content Type: article; Copyright: © 2019 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.