Maximilian Pfost

Individual Differences in Reading Development A Review of 25 Years of Empirical Research on Matthew Effects in Reading

The idea of Matthew effects in reading—the widening achievement gap between good and poor readers—has attracted considerable attention in education research in the past 25 years. Despite the popularity of the topic, however, empirical studies that have analyzed the core assumption of Matthew effects in reading have produced inconsistent results. This review summarizes the empirical findings on the development of early interindividual differences in reading. We did not find strong support for the general validity of a pattern of widening achievement differences or for a pattern of decreasing achievement differences in reading. The inclusion of moderating variables, however, allowed a clearer picture to be painted. Matthew effects were more likely to occur for measures of decoding efficiency, vocabulary, and composite reading scores when the achievement tests were not affected by deficits in measurement precision. Furthermore, moderators such as the applied analytic method or the orthographic consistency of the language were of less importance for the emergence of Matthew effects in reading. An additional meta-analysis of studies reporting correlations between a baseline level and a growth parameter yielded a small, negative mean correlation (r = −.214), which again was moderated by properties of the measures. Possible explanations for the reported findings are discussed.

Reciprocal Relations between Intrinsic Reading Motivation and Reading Competence: A Comparison between Native and Immigrant Students in Germany.

The present study compares native and immigrant students regarding the direction and the strength of the relation between intrinsic reading motivation and reading competence. Within the framework of the German National Educational Panel Study, 4,619 secondary school students were included in the analyses. The present study confirmed the reciprocal cross-lagged effects between intrinsic reading motivation and reading competence from grades 5 to 7 for native students. In addition, the effect of grade 5 intrinsic reading motivation on grade 7 reading competence was mediated by grade 6 reading amount. However, for immigrant students, although the cross-lagged effect of grade 5 reading competence on grade 7 intrinsic reading motivation was significant, the reverse effect was not significant. The present findings suggest that intrinsic reading motivation seems to be essential for the development of reading achievement for native students whereas it seems to be of less importance for immigrant students.

New Challenge, New Motivation? Goal Orientation Development in Graduates of Higher Track Schools and Their Peers in Vocational Training

Many studies have demonstrated a decrease in mastery-approach goals and an increase in performance-approach goals after students’ transition from primary to secondary education. A theoretical explanation for this phenomenon is a deteriorating fit between a learner’s needs and environmental conditions. The purpose of this study was to further examine the development of students’ goal orientation after they graduated from a higher track secondary school and transitioned to university or vocational training as compared with peers who chose vocational training earlier. We also examined the fit between the students’ needs and the conditions in the new educational context to elaborate on the differential fit hypothesis. Data from 487 students and trainees who participated in a German longitudinal school study were available for our analyses. Latent change score models indicated a significant increase in mastery-approach and a decrease in performance-approach goals for higher track graduates after they transitioned to a new educational context, paralleled by an adequate fit between the learners’ needs and the new educational context. For their peers who started vocational training early, mastery-approach goals seem to remain stable, whereas performance-approach goals decreased over time. The results are discussed in the context of the stage-environment fit theory.