Development of Reading Interests of Children Aged 5 to 12

This project investigated the development of reading interests of children aged 5 to 12 in both the UK and China, with the aim of supporting parents, teachers, librarians and other literacy professionals in broadening children’s reading experience. Study One explored the emerging gender, age, and cultural trends in children’s reading interests. It also examined the relationships between children’s reading interests, play interests, vocational interests and parents’ occupations. 288 British parents and 301 Chinese parents participated in this study. Results revealed that only British boys in Key Stage 2 (KS2, ages 7-11) showed a greater preference for non-fiction than girls. In other Key Stages, neither British nor Chinese boys showed a marked preference for non-fiction, and neither British nor Chinese girls showed a marked preference for fiction. As such, this study challenged the long-standing myth that boys prefer non-fiction while girls prefer fiction. This study also indicated that children’s reading interests changed with age, and no cultural differences were found between British and Chinese children. Moreover, no relationships were found between children’s reading interests, play interests, vocational interests and parents’ occupations. Study Two explored how parents’ perceptions of gender-appropriate reading materials and gender-neutral parenting shaped children’s reading interests. A total of 228 British parents and 194 Chinese parents participated. Results suggested that parents positively perceived the gender-neutral parenting style, and they tended to encourage their children to read counter-stereotypical books, particularly for daughters. However, parents still preferred a traditional parenting approach. Based on a sample of 129 British parents, Study Three explored how parental involvement affected children’s reading interests through three dimensions: engagement, accessibility and responsibility. Results suggested that mothers were more involved in children’s reading than fathers, especially in “engagement”. The study also found that engagement and responsibility significantly predicted children’s reading interests, whereas accessibility did not.