Trajectories of leisure reading for children with literacy difficulties and the role of literacy support: Findings from the UK millennium cohort study

Abstract Background Evidence suggests leisure reading may be especially important for children with reading difficulties. However, little is known about how their leisure reading evolves over time or how school‐based practices, including targeted literacy support, impact this. Aims We aimed to examine how literacy difficulties are associated with leisure reading concurrently and over time for upper primary children with literacy difficulties, and whether receiving literacy support moderated this relationship. Sample Our sample included 7291 participants, using longitudinal data from the Millennium Cohort Study (MCS), a UK nationally representative longitudinal birth cohort study. Methods Chi‐squared tests were conducted to explore associations among main variables (literacy difficulties, literacy support and leisure reading at 11, 14 and 17). Latent growth curve models were used to analyse associations between literacy difficulties and the trajectory of leisure reading, including the moderating effect of receiving literacy support. Results Literacy difficulties were significantly associated with less frequent leisure reading at all ages, but not with the trajectory of leisure reading over time. Receiving literacy support was not associated with leisure reading at any time point and did not moderate the association between literacy difficulties and leisure reading. Conclusions The findings presented here suggest that children with literacy difficulties show lower leisure reading than those without literacy difficulties throughout upper primary and secondary years, and that their leisure reading declines whether or not they have received targeted literacy support. This indicates a shift is needed to effectively support these children.