In this blog post, we will examine whether the gap in reading ability can really be explained by the Matthew effect, along with various other factors.
Reading requires reading skills such as letter recognition, summarization, and inference, as well as vocabulary and interest or motivation. In order to develop reading skills, it is necessary to have these elements in place. These elements interact with each other and have a significant impact on the overall reading ability of the reader.
Among the elements of reading, studies on vocabulary development have reported that the gap in vocabulary between students with high vocabulary skills and those with low vocabulary skills widens as they advance in grade level. Here, the vocabulary gap is related to the amount of reading. In other words, the higher the vocabulary, the more one reads, and the more one reads, the more opportunities one has to acquire vocabulary in the text, which in turn increases vocabulary. Conversely, if vocabulary is insufficient, the amount of reading decreases, and opportunities to acquire vocabulary also decrease, resulting in a relative lack of vocabulary, which in turn requires a lot of effort to overcome the gap that has widened over time.
Readers who are well equipped with reading skills become better and better at reading, and the gap between them and readers who are not becomes wider and wider. This is explained by the Matthew effect. The Matthew effect refers to the phenomenon in which the more social prestige or material assets one has, the more one gains, and as a result, the gap between those who have more and those who have less becomes wider and wider. This term is mainly used in sociology, but it also applies to reading.
The concept of the Matthew effect provides important implications for reading education. For example, educators should pay particular attention to the early vocabulary development of students. If vocabulary skills are not sufficiently developed in the early stages, the learning gap may widen over time. Therefore, educational programs need to make efforts to improve students’ vocabulary skills through a variety of reading materials and activities.
However, there are problems with explaining reading ability solely through the Matthew effect. First, the Matthew effect does not always appear in factors related to reading. This is because cognitive and emotional development varies from person to person, and even within the same person, the speed of development varies from time to time. For example, interest and motivation in reading tend to increase during childhood and then decline at a certain point. In addition, reading factors influence each other and produce results that differ from the Matthew effect. For example, even readers with poor reading skills can develop their reading skills if they have a high level of interest and motivation in reading.
The educational environment and social support also play an important role. Providing students with access to a variety of reading materials and an environment where they can have positive experiences with reading greatly helps develop their reading skills. This emphasizes the need to reaffirm the importance of reading education throughout the education system and to take a more comprehensive and systematic approach.
Nevertheless, studies explaining reading as a Matthew effect have moved away from the view that reading ability differs simply based on intelligence, and have recognized that reading elements are important drivers of good reading. This has made educators and parents aware of the need for a multifaceted approach to improving students’ reading skills and plays an important role in helping students gain confidence in their reading.
Therefore, in order to develop reading ability, it is important to recognize that vocabulary, interest and motivation in reading, and an appropriate educational environment and support are all important factors, and to develop them in a balanced manner. Through this, students will discover the joy of reading and be able to further expand their vocabulary through continuous reading.
