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The role of word recognition, oral reading fluency and listening comprehension in the simple view of reading: a study in an intermediate depth orthography

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Abstract

Empirical research has provided evidence for the simple view of reading across a variety of orthographies, but the role of oral reading fluency in the model is unclear. Moreover, the relative weight of listening comprehension, oral reading fluency and word recognition in reading comprehension seems to vary across orthographies and schooling years. This study aims to examine the direct effects of these three variables on reading comprehension and to test for the existence of indirect effects of word recognition and listening comprehension on reading comprehension via oral reading fluency in European Portuguese, an orthography of intermediate depth. A sample of 264 students was assessed at the end of grades 2 and 4. Structural equation modeling analyses indicated that listening comprehension, word recognition and oral reading fluency predicted reading comprehension in both grade 2 and grade 4. Moreover, the three variables measured in grade 2 predicted later reading comprehension in grade 4. Listening comprehension was always the strongest predictor. Oral reading fluency mediated the relationship between word recognition and reading comprehension, but it was not a mediator variable in the relationship between listening comprehension and reading comprehension. These findings indicate that, similarly to what has been found for other orthographies, the simple view of reading is a valid framework to account for reading comprehension variability in European Portuguese and that interventions to increase reading comprehension levels should focus on word recognition, fluency, and, especially, listening comprehension.

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Acknowledgments

This study was conducted at Psychology Research Centre, University of Minho, and supported by the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology and the Portuguese Ministry of Education and Science through national funds and when applicable co-financed by FEDER under the PT2020 Partnership Agreement (UID/PSI/01662/2013) and by Grant FCOMP-01-0124- FEDER-010733 from Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology and the European Regional Development Fund (FEDER) through the European program COMPETE (Operational Programme for Competitiveness Factors) under the National Strategic Reference Framework (QREN). The first and third authors are also supported by grants from the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (Grants SFRH/BPD/102549/2014 and SFRH/BD/94763/2013).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Centro de Investigação em Estudos da Criança, Instituto de Educação, Universidade do Minho, Campus de Gualtar, 4710-057, Braga, Portugal

    Irene Cadime & Fernanda Leopoldina Viana

  2. Centro de Investigação em Psicologia, Escola de Psicologia, Universidade do Minho, Campus de Gualtar, 4710-057, Braga, Portugal

    Bruna Rodrigues, Sandra Santos, Séli Chaves-Sousa, Maria do Céu Cosme & Iolanda Ribeiro

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  1. Irene Cadime
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  2. Bruna Rodrigues
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  3. Sandra Santos
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  4. Fernanda Leopoldina Viana
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  6. Maria do Céu Cosme
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  7. Iolanda Ribeiro
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Correspondence to Irene Cadime.

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Cadime, I., Rodrigues, B., Santos, S. et al. The role of word recognition, oral reading fluency and listening comprehension in the simple view of reading: a study in an intermediate depth orthography. Read Writ 30, 591–611 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11145-016-9691-3

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