Work

Matthew Effects for Whom?

Year: 2008

Type: article

Abstract: Which children are most at risk of experiencing a Matthew effect in reading? We investigated this question using population-based methodology. First, we identified children entering kindergarten on socio-demographic factors (i.e., gender, race/ethnicity, and socioeconomic status) known to index the relative risks and resources available to them as beginning readers. Second, we fitted growth curve models to the kindergarten-third-grade reading scores of these children as they participated in the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study-Kindergarten Class (ECLS-K) study. Third, we compared the relative reading achievement (as measured in standard deviation units from the sample's overall mean across the study's time points) of the children who were most and least at risk for reading disabilities. We found that the population subgroups most at risk for reading disabilities fell further behind typical readers over time. By contrast, those least at risk for reading disabilities did not move further ahead. Based on these findings, we conclude that a one-sided Matthew effect exists and that, moreover, it is likely to be experienced by children who are at greatest risk for reading disabilities.

Source: Learning Disability Quarterly

DOI: 10.2307/25474651

Authors: Paul L. Morgan, George Farkas, Jacob Hibel

Institutions: Pennsylvania State University, University of California, Irvine

Language: English

Topic: Reading and Literacy Development

Subfield: Developmental and Educational Psychology

Field: Psychology

Domain: Social Sciences

SDGs: Reduced inequalities, Good health and well-being

Open Access status: green

Funder: Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development