Washington: Having too much confidence is not good. And now, a new study has confirmed this by finding that overconfident teenage students can stunt crucial reading skills.
The study shows a clear connection between overconfident students and low reading comprehension.
"While some self-confidence is helpful, overconfident 15-year-olds are often below-average readers in all 34 countries we studied," says Ming Ming Chiu, the lead author of the study and a professor in the Department of Learning and Instruction in the University at Buffalo``s Graduate School of Education.
"In contrast, under-confident 15-year-olds are more likely to be above-average readers in all 34 countries,” the expert added.
The difference lies in a student``s ability to accurately assess and evaluate his or her own reading level, according to Chiu. Those who can accurately gauge their strengths and weaknesses are usually in a better position to identify realistic goals and achieve them.
"If an overconfident student chooses a book that is too hard -- such as ``The Lord of the Rings`` rather than ``Harry Potter and the Sorcerer``s Stone`` -- he or she might stop reading after a few pages and let it sit on a bookshelf," says Chiu.
"In contrast, a more self-aware student is more likely to finish an easier book and continue reading more books,” the expert added.
The research was the first large-scale international study of almost 160,000 students`` overconfidence and reading levels (including nearly 4,000 U.S. students). It was co-written by Robert Klassen, associate professor in the University of Alberta``s Department of Educational Psychology, and was published in the July edition of the professional educators`` journal Learning and Individual Differences. (ANI)
