An IERI – International Educational Research Institute Journal
Table 1 Creation of the variables in the multilevel logit regression model
Name of variable | Items deriving from | Values of derived variable |
|---|---|---|
Students’ reading attitudes | • I read only if I have to | The sum of students’ responses to the component items (reverse-coding the negative statements “I read only if I have to” and “I think reading is boring”) |
• I like talking about books with other people | ||
• I would be happy if someone gave me a book as a present | ||
• I think reading is boring | ||
• I would like to have more time for reading | ||
• I enjoy reading | ||
Choices: agree a lot, agree a little, disagree a little, and disagree a lot | ||
Students’ reading motivation | • I like to read things that make me think | The sum of students’ responses to the component items |
• It is important for me to be a good reader | ||
• My parents like it when I read | ||
• I learn a lot from reading | ||
• I need to read well for my future | ||
• I like it when a book helps me imagine other worlds | ||
Choices: agree a lot, agree a little, disagree a little, and disagree a lot | ||
Students’ reading self-concept | • I usually do well in reading | The sum of students’ responses to the component items (reverse-coding the negative statements “Reading is harder for me than for many of my classmates”, “I have trouble reading stories with difficult words”, and “Reading is harder for me than any other subject”) |
• Reading is easy for me | ||
• Reading is harder for me than for many of my classmates | ||
• If a book is interesting, I don’t care about how hard it is to read | ||
• I have trouble reading stories with difficult words | ||
• My teacher tells me I am a good reader | ||
• Reading is harder for me than any other subject | ||
Choices: agree a lot, agree a little, disagree a little, and disagree a lot | ||
Home SES | • Students’ responses to two questions about home educational resources and aids (number of books in the home and availability of two home study supports, i.e., internet connection and their own room) | 1 = many resources (students reporting that they had more than 100 books in the home and two home study supports, and parents reporting that they had more than 25 children’s books in the home, that at least one parent had finished university, and that at least one parent had a professional occupation); |
• Parents’ responses to three questions about home educational resources (number of children’s books in the home, and parents’ education and occupation) | 3 = few resources (students reporting that they had 25 or fewer books in the home and neither of the two home study supports, and parents reporting that they had 10 or fewer children’s books in the home, that neither parent had gone beyond upper-secondary education, and that neither parent was a small business owner or had a clerical or professional occupation); | |
2 = some resources (all other responses) | ||
Peer bullying | • “I was made fun of or called names”, | The sum of students’ responses to the component items |
• “I was left out of games or activities by other students”, | ||
• “Someone spread lies about me”, | ||
• “Having something stolen”, | ||
• “I was hit or hurt by other student(s)”, | ||
• “I was made to do things I didn’t want to do by other students”) | ||
Choices: at least once a week, once or twice a month, a few times a year, and never | ||
School SES | NA | The average of home SES scores of students from a same school |
School bullying | NA | The average of home SES scores of students from a same school |
School safety and order | • This school is located in a safe neighborhood | The sum of teachers’ responses to the component items |
• I feel safe at this school | ||
• This school’s security policies and practices are sufficient | ||
• The students behave in an orderly manner | ||
• The students are respectful of the teachers | ||
Choices: agree a lot, agree a little, disagree a little, and disagree a lot |