Investigating gender differences in reading

Abstract

Abstract Girls consistently outperform boys on tests of reading comprehension, although the reason for this is not clear. In this review, differences between boys and girls in areas relating to reading will be investigated as possible explanations for consistent gender differences in reading attainment. The review will examine gender differences within the following different aspects of reading: differences in behavioural and motivational factors, difference in cognitive abilities, differences in brain activation during reading and differences in reading strategies and learning styles. A particular focus of this review will be on a research study which found a gender difference in reading favouring boys. Such a study may provide us with some insight into the type of learning environment to which boys may be more suited. Keywords: genderreadingachievementphonicsteaching