Relationship between proactive personality and online reading motivation in teenagers: A moderated mediation model

The development of teenagers’ reading habits is important for their integration into adult society, and the popularity of the digital space provides ample opportunity. However, empirical research on teenagers’ online reading motivation in Mainland China is limited. We constructed a moderated mediation model to examine the relevant factors that affect teenagers’ online reading motivation and the mechanisms of these relationships. Participants comprised 819 middle school students who completed questionnaires at a single time point. The results demonstrated that proactive personality was significantly and positively related to teenagers’ motivation to read online, while general self-efficacy partially mediated the relationship between proactive personality and online reading motivation. Furthermore, family socioeconomic status moderated the relationship between self-efficacy and online reading motivation. These findings contribute to the literature on the antecedents and mechanisms of teenagers’ online reading behavior and provide theoretical and practical implications for online reading services.