Individuelle Entwicklungsverläufe beim Lesen: Macht das Geschlecht den Unterschied?

It is widely known that boys, on average, have lower reading competencies than girls. With respect to the development of reading competencies, research has yet to determine whether performance differences between genders increase, decrease, or remain stable over the course of secondary school. Some studies, mainly from the United Kingdom and the United States, suggest that an increase in performance differences between boys and girls is related to the development of students from families with low socioeconomic status. Moreover, students’ immigration background and the school track have been discussed as a moderator. In the present study, the aforementioned research questions were addressed with data from 2,505 students from Germany. Using data collected at four time points (Grades 5 – 8), we applied latent growth curve modeling to analyze the competence areas reading speed and reading comprehension. The results showed a fan-spread effect that illustrated a disadvantage for boys in reading speed and comprehension. No fan-spread effects of reading performance growth occurred in relation to socioeconomic status or immigration background. Furthermore, the analyses showed that the gender-related fan-spread effects were not moderated by socioeconomic status or immigration background. The school track was not a significant moderator of the gender effects.