Glossary · Reading science and reading difficulty
What is the Matthew effect in reading?
Definition
The Matthew effect is the pattern in which strong early readers read more and grow faster, while weak early readers read less and fall further behind.
Keith Stanovich described it in 1986, borrowing the phrase “the rich get richer” from the Gospel of Matthew. A student who reads easily enjoys reading, reads more, learns more words and knowledge, and finds the next book easier. A student who struggles avoids reading and misses all of that.
The gap widens over time, in vocabulary and knowledge as well as in word reading. By upper elementary school the difference in words read per year between strong and weak readers can be huge.
The lesson is urgency. Early help is far more effective than late help, because it stops the gap before it compounds. For older students, read-alouds and audiobooks keep vocabulary and knowledge growing while decoding catches up.
In a lesson
Two second graders start the year a few months apart in reading. By fifth grade one reads several books a month and the other avoids books entirely. The gap is now years, not months.
Why does this matter for the record?
Record independent reading as well as skills. A student who has the skills but never reads by choice is at risk of the same widening gap.
Rate each skill as you teach it
Needs support, Developing, Secure. The rating schedules the review and builds the report.