A Chip Off the Old Block: Do Reading‐Motivated Parents Raise Reading‐Motivated Children?

Abstract

AbstractThe aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between parents' reading motivation and leisure reading frequency and their children's reading motivation. Secondary data analysis was used to examine a sample of almost 330,000 Chilean adolescents. The results of multilevel regression models revealed that parents' reading motivation and frequency were significantly and positively associated with adolescents' reading motivation, even after controlling for their classmates' and their own previous reading achievement. Furthermore, the negative and significant association found between students' reading motivation and their socioeconomic status was smaller in effect size than that of parents' reading motivation and frequency combined. The implications and limitations of these findings are also discussed.