Gender differences in reading motivation: does sex or gender identity provide a better account?

This study examined sex differences in reading skill and reading motivation, investigating whether these differences could be better accounted for by sex, or by gender identity. One hundred and eighty‐two primary school children (98 males) aged 8–11 completed a reading comprehension assessment, reading motivation questionnaire and a gender role questionnaire. While there were no sex differences in reading skill or extrinsic reading motivation, girls had significantly higher intrinsic reading motivation. However, responses to intrinsic motivation were better explained by gender identity than sex. In addition, a feminine identity was more closely associated with many different aspects of reading motivation than a masculine identity. Implications for our understanding of sex differences in reading are discussed.     

The priorities established among data sources when instructional designers revise written materials

The objective of the study was to investigate the priorities instructional designers establish among data sources when they revise written materials and the relationship of their practice to standard models of formative evaluation. Two modules of printed instructional material were revised by each of eight experienced instructional designers under three treatment conditions, using a counterbalanced design. Data were collected using a think-aloud procedure. The think-aloud protocol was segmented, coded and analysed. Results show that instructional designers were significantly more likely to incorporate their own knowledge into revisions than to use feedback data, and when they did use feedback data, they preferred learner comments. They did not accurately assess their use of their own knowledge or of feedback data; they thought they used feedback data more than the results showed. These instructional designers reflected some aspects of the standard instructional design model when they revised instructional materials, but their experience has caused many of the procedures to become internalized, so they are invisible in the protocols. This research was funded in part by a grant from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada.