A correlative analysis of reading achievement, reading attitude, home literary environment, and self-concept in the middle school

The subjects included 163 sixth, seventh, and eighth grade students in Greeneville, Tennessee. The children used in the study were those who chose to participate and who were able to acquire parental permission. The Mikulecky Behavioral Reading Attitude Measure and the Tennessee Self Concept Scale were administered to all participating students. Data concerning home literary environment were acquired through the administration of a researcher-made questionnaire. The Reading Achievement score from the Stanford Achievement Tests was used to determine the reading achievement of the sample population.

After the data were collected, several statistical analyses were conducted. These included: the Pearson Correlation coefficients, a Two-Way Factorial Analysis of Variance, the Duncan's Multiple Range Test, and multiple regression analyses using a stepwise, forward linear regression technique. The findings were:

1. There was a significant correlation between reading attitude and number of nonschool required books read the previous year, number of books owned, amount read to as a child, amount of newspaper read on a daily basis, and reading achievement, p ≤ .01.

2. Reading attitude can be predicted with 67% of the variance accounted for for females in Grade 7 and with 62% for females in Grade 8.

3. There was a significant correlation between amount read to as a child and number of books owned, self-concept, reading achievement, number of magazines in the home monthly, and amount of newspaper read daily, p ≤ .01.

4. Amount read to as a child can be predicted with 70% of the variance accounted for for females in Grade 7 and with 50% for males in Grade 7.

5. There was a significant correlation between number of books owned and number of books read, reading attitute, amount read to as a child, reading achievement, and amount of newspaper read daily, p ≤ .01.

6. Number of books owned can be predicted with 73% of the variance accounted for for females in Grade 8.

7. There was a significant correlation between the number of magazines in the home monthly and amount read to as a child, p ≤ .01.

8. There was a significant correlation between number of nonschool required books read the previous year and number of books owned, reading attitude, reading achievement, and amount of newspaper read daily, p ≤ .01.

9. Number of nonschool required books read the previous year can be predicted with 57% of the variance accounted for for Grade 7, with 64% for females in Grade 6, with 73% for females in Grade 8, and with 90% for females in Grade 7.

10. There was a significant correlation between amount of newspaper read on a daily basis and reading achievement, number of books owned, reading attitude, number of books read in the previous year, and amount read to as a child, p ≤ .01.

11. There was a significant correlation between reading achievement and number of books read, number of books owned, amount of newspaper read daily, amount read to as a child, and reading attitude, p ≤ .01.

12. Reading achievement can be predicted with 50% of the variance accounted for for females in Grade 7.

13. There was a significant correlation between self-concept and amount read to as a child, p ≤ .01.

14. Self-concept did not correlate significantly with reading achievement or reading attitude.

Recommendations were made for future studies concerning the relationships between self-concept and amount read to as a child, studies involving the same eight variables but with other sample populations, and more long term studies involving these eight variables.