The relationship between reading ability and self-perception among African-American postgraduate students

Abstract

This study investigated the relationship between two components of reading ability (ie reading comprehension and reading vocabulary) and six dimensions of self-perception (ie perceived scholastic competence, perceived intellectual ability, perceived creativity, perceived job competence, perceived social acceptance, and perceived global self-worth) as factors impacting academic performance. The sample comprised 101 African-American postgraduate students. A canonical correlation analysis revealed that African-American postgraduate students with the highest levels of perceived scholastic competence, perceived intellectual ability, perceived creativity, and perceived self-worth tended to have the highest levels of reading comprehension, in particular, and reading vocabulary, to a lesser degree. Implications of the results are discussed.