| Summary: | This study aimed to investigate the control-value theory (Pekrun, 2017) suggested reciprocal links between achievement anxiety, its task value antecedent, and outcomes in the reading domain. Extending from the previous research, the present study examined both reading-related anxiety and interest value in reading achievement from grade 2 to 3 in a highly transparent orthography. Among a sample of 790 Finnish children, the group assessments administered in the classrooms included children’s self-reported reading-related anxiety and interest value, followed by reading fluency skill tests. The hierarchical linear regression models with multiple imputations suggested that after 2 years of schooling, undesirable reading performance may diminish children’s interest in learning to read and bring about anxious feelings toward reading. Meanwhile, the separate
gender group analyses suggested that although girls generally displayed a stronger interest in reading than boys, they might be also more vulnerable to reading-related emotional and motivational issues. The findings necessitated attention to children’s negative affective reactions and intrinsic value associated with their reading performance since lower elementary, particularly those who consistently lag behind in reading. The implications for inhibiting the deleterious
effects of early reading performance on children’s anxiety and interest in reading and preventing the potential feedback loops involving reading-related anxiety, interest value, and skills development at later grades are discussed.
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