Sex differences in comprehension of high- and low-interest reading material

Investigated whether sex differences in reading comprehension are affected by variations in the interest level of the material. 49 male and 38 female 5th graders' interests were assessed using a picture-rating technique. Each child then read material that corresponded to his or her high- and low-interest areas. The cloze procedure was used to measure comprehension. Results indicate that boys read as well as girls on high-interest material but that they were significantly poorer readers of low-interest material.

Duke Scholars

Author Steven R. Asher Psychology & Neuroscience