What impact does socio-economic status have on children's reading?

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What were the aims and design of the study?

The study aimed to investigate the link between socio-economic status and reading by examining children’s reading habits. The National Literacy Trust conducted a survey of pupils’ reading habits for 8,206 pupils from 57 primary and 41 secondary schools in England. The pupils involved in the study ranged in ages from 5 to 17 years old, the majority of pupils were 12 (27.9%) and 13 (21.1%) years old. There was an even spilt between boys (52.9%) and girls (47.1%) in the sample.

Pupils completed a 23-point self-report questionnaire about their attitudes and enjoyment of reading, access to books and reading materials in the home, and parental involvement and influence on reading.

Pupils also reported whether they received free school meals, this was used by the researchers as an indicator of socio-economic status of the pupils and their families. At the primary school level 11.9% of pupils were receiving free school meals and at secondary level it was 11.5%, these figures are representative of national take-up figures (primary 14.5% and secondary 10.7%). The researchers identify that free school meals are often used as an indicator of socio-economic status recognising that this can be misleading indicator as it excludes pupils whose parents are on low income but not receiving income support.

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Research Home Themes \| Find digests \| About the digests resources glossary researchers contact TRIPS Introduction What did the researchers find out about socio-economic status and pupil reading? What role does the home and family play in children’s reading? What impact does gender have on children’s reading? In what way does socio-economic status influence children’s reading? What were the aims and design of the study? What are the implications of the study for practitioners? Where can I find out more? Send us your feedback Collated digests To find out more about collated digests click here Get Word Reader What impact does socio-economic status have on children's reading? This digest found in English Send to a friend Word doc 60KB Printer friendly Collate for later What were the aims and design of the study? The study aimed to investigate the link between socio-economic status and reading by examining children’s reading habits. The National Literacy Trust conducted a survey of pupils’ reading habits for 8,206 pupils from 57 primary and 41 secondary schools in England. The pupils involved in the study ranged in ages from 5 to 17 years old, the majority of pupils were 12 (27.9%) and 13 (21.1%) years old. There was an even spilt between boys (52.9%) and girls (47.1%) in the sample. Pupils completed a 23-point self-report questionnaire about their attitudes and enjoyment of reading, access to books and reading materials in the home, and parental involvement and influence on reading. Pupils also reported whether they received free school meals, this was used by the researchers as an indicator of socio-economic status of the pupils and their families. At the primary school level 11.9% of pupils were receiving free school meals and at secondary level it was 11.5%, these figures are representative of national take-up figures (primary 14.5% and secondary 10.7%). The researchers identify that free school meals are often used as an indicator of socio-economic status recognising that this can be misleading indicator as it excludes pupils whose parents are on low income but not receiving income support.