The Impact of Same Gender Dynamics On Cross-Aged Paired Reading

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to investigate the dynamics that take place in the relationship between same gender paired readers. The participants in this study were forty-four elementary students from the fifth and second grade level. The school is located in an urban environment and over seventy- five percent of the students qualify for free or reduced lunch. The findings from this study suggest that boys and girls prefer to work with their same gender during buddy reading. This finding was particularly strong among the boys. This conclusion was further supported by evidence that males paid more attention during buddy reading, behaved better, and had a healthier attitude toward reading when working with their buddies as compared to their classroom experience.