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Learning to Learn: How 4th and 5th Grade Boys and Girls Differ

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  29 October 2015

Alexander Seeshing Yeung ,
Rachel Yuk Hung Hon  and
Dennis M. Mclnerney
Alexander Seeshing Yeung*
Affiliation:
University of Western Sydney
Rachel Yuk Hung Hon
Affiliation:
Maryknoll Convent School, Hong Kong
Dennis M. Mclnerney
Affiliation:
CRPP, National Institute of Education, Singapore
*
Centre for Educational Research, University of Western Sydney, Email:a.yeung@uws.edu.au
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Abstract

From 20 primary schools in Hong Kong, a sample of 59 boys and 62 girls in 4th grade and 98 boys and 99 girls in 5th grade (N = 318) responded to a survey about their learning-to-learn capabilities including (a) reading to learn, (b) self-management, (c) desire for knowledge, and (d) originality of ideas, and two facilitating factors for enabling such capabilities, including (e) academic self-concept, and (f) effort goal orientation. Confirmatory factor analysis provided support for the validity of the six psychological constructs. Analysis of variance found that although boys and girls did not differ in academic self-concept, desire for knowledge and originality, girls scored higher in effort goal orientation, reading to learn, and self-management. There was a gender x grade interaction effect in reading to learn, indicating that 5th grade girls were more willing than 4th grade girls to acquire knowledge through reading whereas 5th grade boys were less willing than 4th grade boys to do so. Advocates of education reform need to consider gender differences when formulating policies to promote students’ learning-to-learn capabilities and particularly to encourage boys to read.

Keywords

learning to learnreading to learnself-managementdesire for knowledgeacademic self-conceptgoal orientation
Type
Research Article
Information
The Educational and Developmental Psychologist , Volume 24 , Issue 2 , 2007 , pp. 69 - 90
Copyright
Copyright © Australian Psychological Society 2007

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