Reading self‐efficacy and behaviour profiles of beginning readers and the relationship with literacy development

Abstract Background Children who experience difficulties developing early literacy skills have been of major concern because of the broader effect on subsequent literacy development. Addressing the needs of learners also requires understanding distal variables that influence the development of early literacy skills. Two distal variables implicated in developing literacy skills include reading self‐efficacy and behaviour. Method The current paper explored the relationship between early literacy skills, reading self‐efficacy (RSE) and behaviour in a sample of 5‐year‐old beginning readers in Aotearoa New Zealand. Children's early literacy skills (phonological awareness, spelling, word recognition, reading accuracy and reading comprehension), reading self‐efficacy and behaviour (teacher‐reported) were measured across five time points as part of a larger longitudinal study. Results Analyses revealed an association between reading self‐efficacy and behaviour through the finding of two profiles of learners, one with high RSE and positive behaviour, and a smaller group (20% of the sample) with low RSE and behavioural difficulties. When examining the development of the early literacy skills of the two profile groups, differences were evident at school entry and continued for another 2 years, but there was no evidence of a Matthew effect. Conclusion Findings suggest that reading self‐efficacy and behaviour can be measured in children in the first year of school to inform profiles of learners. These profiles were related to literacy learning. Differences in literacy outcomes for the learner profiles were evident at school entry and continued through the first 3 years of school.