STUDENT TRAJECTORIES RELATED TO READING AND ATTENTION SKILLS: IS THERE EVIDENCE OF THE MATTHEW EFFECT?
| dc.contributor.advisor | Walcott, Christy | |
| dc.contributor.author | Gonzales, Christine Rivera | |
| dc.contributor.department | Psychology | |
| dc.date.accessioned | 2024-01-16T17:52:05Z | |
| dc.date.created | 2023-12 | |
| dc.date.issued | 2024-01-04 | |
| dc.date.submitted | December 2023 | |
| dc.date.updated | 2024-01-11T18:54:36Z | |
| dc.degree.department | Psychology | |
| dc.degree.discipline | PHD-Health Psychology | |
| dc.degree.grantor | East Carolina University | |
| dc.degree.level | Doctoral | |
| dc.degree.name | Ph.D. | |
| dc.description.abstract | Research on reading is widespread given its predictive nature for adult outcomes pertaining to success, such as high school graduation, college entrance, health literacy, employment status and wages earned. Research focusing on attention problems is also widespread, as attention has been found to be an integral part of the learning process. Previous research demonstrates that problems in reading and attention, individually, are associated with negative outcomes, and the prognosis for children who possess deficits in both areas is significantly worse. However, the relationship between reading and attention is complex and a myriad of studies have come to numerous conclusions regarding the relationship between reading and attention, depending both on the type of data and statistical analysis used for the study. Expanding on a previous study (Gonzales, 2019) which examined the unique growth trajectories regarding both attention and reading performance of students throughout elementary school, this study used data from the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study (ECLS: K-2011), an updated and improved nationally, representative database containing both reading and attention measures for students from kindergarten through fifth grade. Consistent with previous research, initial reading scores were significantly predicted by SES, with scores being higher for those students from higher SES backgrounds. Similarly, girls had higher initial reading scores than boys. The findings indicated five unique growth trajectories with respect to reading and attention skills over the course of elementary school. These results remained consistent even after controlling for students’ gender and SES. Reading performance for all groups improved over the course of elementary school. Attention, as rated by teachers, was much more variable with one group improving over time, another declining over time, and the other groups remaining relatively stable over the course of elementary school. There was a group that struggled both with reading and attentional skills throughout the course of elementary school, even though they were not the lowest rated class in regard to attention by the spring of fourth grade. Specifics regarding each of the five trajectories as well as implications for research and practice are discussed. | |
| dc.embargo.lift | 2025-12-01 | |
| dc.embargo.terms | 2025-12-01 | |
| dc.format.mimetype | application/pdf | |
| dc.identifier.uri | http://hdl.handle.net/10342/13285 | |
| dc.language.iso | en | |
| dc.publisher | East Carolina University | |
| dc.subject | Reading, Attention, LGMM, Developmental Trajectories | |
| dc.title | STUDENT TRAJECTORIES RELATED TO READING AND ATTENTION SKILLS: IS THERE EVIDENCE OF THE MATTHEW EFFECT? | |
| dc.type | Doctoral Dissertation | |
| dc.type.material | text |