Abstract
Available behavior-genetic research indicates that the single largest factor influencing individual differences in literacy development is genetic endowment. We briefly review some typical evidence and methodology used in studying the behavior-genetics of reading. We then outline three hypothetical educational scenarios and demonstrate how behavior-genetic studies might play out in them, with the aim of enhancing the critical capacity of school psychologists and other educational professionals to evaluate research findings in this area. We show that heritability estimates will tend to be higher in educational environments in which the instruction and other factors are more uniform, that the way subsamples are combined can affect estimates, and that population-level estimates cannot be used to determine the etiology of any individual child’s performance. We address and dismiss genetic determinism, and review evidence to suggest that genetic accounts of reading disability may reduce blame and stigma yet increase pessimism about successful intervention. However, we argue that continued research into optimal ways to design and deliver curricula is quite compatible with the substantial heritability of individual differences in literacy and has already provided grounds for optimism. We also suggest that genetically derived constraints on academic progress bring into sharp focus questions about the goals of education.
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Acknowledgements
This research was supported by the Australian Research Council (DP0663498, DP0770805), the National Institute for Child Health and Human Development (HD27802, HD38526), the Swedish Research Council (2011–1905), and the Swedish Council for Working Life and Social Research (2011–0177).
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Byrne, B., Olson, R.K., Samuelsson, S. (2019). Behavior-Genetic Studies of Academic Performance in School Students: A Commentary for Professionals in Psychology and Education. In: Kilpatrick, D., Joshi, R., Wagner, R. (eds) Reading Development and Difficulties. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-26550-2_9
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