Kindergarten Self-Control Mediates the Gender Reading Achievement Gap

A new article co-authored by Professor Roisin Corcoran, has been published in the Journal of Research in Personality.

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=0.21). 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.

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