Students’ reading enjoyment as a multilevel mediator of the relationship between parental reading enjoyment, teachers’ stimulation of reading, ICT factors, and reading literacy

Reading literacy is essential for educational success and effective functioning in modern society, especially in an era dominated by digital technology. This study aimed to explore the relationships between student-level and school-level variables and reading literacy. While prior research has highlighted various individual, household, and school-related factors contributing to reading competence, the structural relationships among these variables have not been thoroughly examined. This study utilized data from 6,650 Korean students who participated in PISA 2018. Multilevel Structural Equation Modeling (MSEM) was applied to examine the relationships between student- and school-level variables and reading literacy. Variables analyzed included parental reading enjoyment, students’ ICT interest, and teachers’ stimulation of reading, and school ICT capacity. At the student level, parental reading enjoyment, and students’ ICT interest were associated with both students’ reading enjoyment and literacy. Furthermore, the relationships of parental reading enjoyment and students’ ICT interest with reading literacy were mediated by students’ reading enjoyment. At the school level, teachers’ stimulation of reading was positively related to students’ reading enjoyment, and schools’ ICT capacity was associated with reading literacy. In addition, the relationship between teachers’ stimulation of reading and reading literacy was mediated by students’ reading enjoyment. The findings underscore the pivotal role of reading enjoyment in mediating the effects of parental enjoyment of reading, students’ ICT interest and teachers’ stimulation of reading on reading literacy. These results suggest that strategies to enhance reading literacy should prioritize fostering students’ enjoyment of reading through collaborative efforts involving parents, teachers, and schools.