Investigating the Relationship Between Primary School Students' Reading Attitudes and Their Parents' Reading Attitudes

Abstract

The reading attitudes of primary school-aged children serve as foundational elements in the lifelong learning journey, with parental influence playing a pivotal role in this process. As children’s first role models, parents have the capacity to shape their children’s attitudes towards reading through their own reading behaviors and attitudes. This study aims to explore the relationship between the reading attitudes of 3rd and 4th-grade students and those of their parents, assessing these attitudes across various contextual factors. The study sample includes 3rd and 4th-grade students from multiple schools located in a province within Turkey’s Western Black Sea Region, along with their parents. Utilizing a correlational research design, the study employed the “Attitudes Towards Reading Scale” and “Attitudes Towards Reading Scale with Garfield Visuals” as data collection instruments. The findings indicate that female students exhibited a more positive reading attitude than male students, with no significant differences noted regarding grade level or monthly book-reading frequency. Additionally, the study observed that parents’ reading attitude scores increased with higher levels of parental education and greater book-reading frequency. Correlation analysis showed no significant relationship between the children’s reading attitudes and those of their parents, although a moderate positive relationship was found between the reading attitudes of mothers and fathers.