AUTHOR=Supper Wilfried , Guay Frédéric , Talbot Denis 

TITLE=The Relation Between Television Viewing Time and Reading Achievement in Elementary School Children: A Test of Substitution and Inhibition Hypotheses

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Psychology

VOLUME=Volume 12 - 2021

YEAR=2021

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/psychology/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2021.580763

DOI=10.3389/fpsyg.2021.580763

ISSN=1664-1078

ABSTRACT=Research has focused on the relations between television (TV) viewing time and children's reading achievement. Two models have been proposed to explain this relation. The substitution model proposes that TV viewing distract students from activities important for their learning. The inhibition model proposes that television watching inhibits important affective/cognitive skills. In this study, we examine the validity of both models by investigating the relation between TV-viewing time and reading achievement. We use the frequency of students’ reading for leisure purposes and the frequency of interactions between students and their parents as potential mediators to test the substitution model, whereas for the inhibition model we use students’ intrinsic motivation to read and their level of inattention. Data come from the Québec Longitudinal Study of Child Development (QLSCD). Designed by the Institut de la statistique du Québec, QLSCD covers a wide range of themes. The QLSCD is representative of children in Québec and contains 2223 participants who were followed from 0 to 21 years old. The four models tested are built as follows: the TV viewing time at 6 years old predicts the four mediating variable at 8 years old, which in turn predicts reading achievement at 10 years old. In addition, we have tested models’ gender invariance. Results indicate that TV-viewing time is not directly or indirectly associated with reading achievement. Specifically, it is not associated with the mediating variables of child-parent interactions, intrinsic motivation, and inattention. However, the frequency of reading for leisure is negatively associated with the time spent watching TV. This association is very small (-0.07) and has no indirect effect on reading achievement. Finally, results do not vary according to the gender of the participants. Our results are in line with those of previous studies in the field and cast some doubts on the potential negative effects of TV viewing time on reading achievement.