Chinese adolescents' reading engagement profiles and their relations to self‐concept and reading literacy

Background Previous studies on reading engagement have generally used variable‐centred approaches to examine whole‐sample averages. Few have assumed a person‐centred approach, especially latent profile analysis (LPA), to examine students' reading engagement profiles. Although one study employed LPA to identify the reading engagement profiles of Chinese adolescents, how engagement dimensions combine within individuals was not clear from its results. Methods This study used LPA to examine the reading engagement profiles of 12,058 Chinese adolescents based on their patterns of behavioural, cognitive and emotional engagement. Additionally, how profile membership relates to self‐concept and reading literacy was examined. Results Four reading engagement profiles were identified: engaged (moderate to high on all three dimensions), moderately engaged (moderate on all three dimensions), disengaged (low on all three dimensions) and moderately cognitively engaged (moderate cognitive engagement/low behavioural and emotional engagement). Students with a higher reading self‐concept were more likely to exhibit a pattern of moderate to high engagement. Students with higher engagement patterns attained higher reading achievement. Conclusions Chinese adolescents showed multiple reading engagement profiles that were differently related to self‐concept and reading literacy. Teachers should be aware of subgroups of students displaying different reading engagement patterns and be able to evaluate and then address them with appropriate instructional practices.