Reading engagement and reading literacy performance: effective policy and practices at home and in school

Based on the data of Program for International Student Assessment 2009, this paper examines how various aspects of home literacy environment, school climate and students' reading engagement related to their reading performance. A profile of Hong Kong students' three indices of reading engagement – namely, reading enjoyment, reading diversity and online reading – relative to other East Asian societies is first presented. The relative contributions of different family‐level and classroom‐level factors on Hong Kong students' reading engagement are then examined by using hierarchical linear modelling. Assessment of the relative impact of the three engagement indices on reading performance shows that reading enjoyment is the strongest predictor. That home‐school cooperation in cultivating a positive reading climate, nurturing a good reading habit for all students and enhancing the classroom and teaching climate appear to be promising avenues for improving students' reading engagement and performance may be of importance for shaping future policy and practice. Reading engagement is important for developing students' reading literacy. Children who enjoy reading and are engaged in reading activities are more likely to become fully skilled readers which in turns perform well in reading assessments. The findings of the present study provide insightful implications for enhancing students' reading engagement at home and in school. First, a literacy‐rich home environment is regarded as a powerful factor leading to children's successful early literacy development. Considering that parental involvement and educational and cultural resources at home are strong predictors of students' reading enjoyment while material resources have a negative relation with reading enjoyment, it is important for parents to invest appropriate resources and guidance for developing their children's reading literacy especially those from disadvantaged families with limited resources. Second, instructional environment plays an important role in shaping adolescents' reading engagement. The findings indicated a strong disciplinary climate but low stimulation by teachers and use of structuring and scaffolding strategies among Hong Kong and other East Asian societies. While a classroom with a good disciplinary climate showed a positive impact on their reading performance, students still need support from teachers to participate in autonomous activities in order to develop into skilled readers. The s