Daly, Michael and Corcoran, Roisin P. (2019) Kindergarten self-control mediates the gender reading achievement gap: A population-based cohort study. Journal of Research in Personality, 83 (103881). ISSN 0092-6566

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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.

Item Type:	Article
Additional Information:	Cite as: Michael Daly, Roisin P. Corcoran, Kindergarten self-control mediates the gender reading achievement gap: A population-based cohort study, Journal of Research in Personality, Volume 83, 2019, 103881, ISSN 0092-6566, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jrp.2019.103881. (https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0092656619301023)
Keywords:	Self-control; Self-regulation; Academic achievement; Sex differences; Reading; Social and emotional learning (SEL);
Academic Unit:	Faculty of Science and Engineering > Psychology
Item ID:	15242
Identification Number:	https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jrp.2019.103881
Depositing User:	Michael Daly
Date Deposited:	13 Jan 2022 15:27
Journal or Publication Title:	Journal of Research in Personality
Publisher:	Elsevier
Refereed:	Yes
URI:	Publisher
Use Licence:	This item is available under a Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial Share Alike Licence (CC BY-NC-SA). Details of this licence are available here

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