Reading Skills Acquisition in Primary School Pupils

Does Gender Provide a Better Account?

Abstract

The existence of gender disparities in cognitive abilities has been a persistent focus of educational research. This quantitative study investigated whether such disparities are evident in the acquisition of reading skills among grade four pupils in public primary schools in Tanzania's Manyara region. Using purposive sampling method, the study was conducted across 17 schools selected from six wards. A total of 340 pupils were recruited through stratified and simple random sampling techniques. Data were collected via paper-based questionnaires and analyzed using SPSS. An independent samples t-test was employed to compare mean reading scores between boys and girls. The results revealed no statistically significant difference in reading acquisition based on gender. The study therefore concludes that gender is not a determinative factor in the development of reading skills in this specific cohort, suggesting that educational interventions should focus on other variables to improve literacy outcomes.