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

Publication date: December 2019Source: Journal of Research in Personality, Volume 83Author(s): Michael Daly, Roisin P. CorcoranAbstractCould 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.

Source: Journal of Research in Personality - October 12, 2019 Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Source Type: research