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How orthographic knowledge is related to efficient word reading? Testing competing hypotheses

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Abstract

This study aims to explore the relations of phonological awareness and rapid naming with efficient word reading. Our work builds on the strong   evidence base of associations between phonological awareness, rapid naming, orthographic knowledge, and efficient word reading. Specifically, we tested a pathway linking phonological awareness to orthographic knowledge and on to efficient word reading and a pathway linking rapid naming to orthographic knowledge and on to efficient word reading,, following on the self-teaching (Share in Cognition 55(2):151–218, 1995. https://doi.org/10.1016/0010-0277(94)00645-2) and rapid naming hypotheses (Wolf & Bowers in J Educ Psychol 91(3):415–438, 1999. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-0663.91.3.415), respectively. Based on these two classic theories of orthographic development, we conducted a multiple-path analysis to test the mediating role of orthographic knowledge in the relation of phonological awareness and rapid naming with efficient word reading. The sample consisted of 231 monolingual Greek-speaking children; 121 (58 males) Grade 2 children (M age = 7.82 years, SD = 3.32) and 110 (51 males) Grade 5 children (M age = 10.84, years, SD = 3.54) participated in the study. After establishing the significant contribution of orthographic knowledge to efficient word reading, we found two direct pathways: one from phonological awareness in Grade 5 and one from rapid naming in Grades 2 and 5 and two indirect pathways in which phonological awareness and rapid naming contribute to efficient word reading via orthographic knowledge  in both Grades. Then, we assessed whether there is a shift over one of the two theories over time, using a multi-group analysis with data from Grades 2 and 5. Indeed, we found differences between two Grades in pathways from sub-lexical orthographic knowledge to efficient word reading, from phonological awareness and rapid naming to efficient word reading, and from rapid naming to sub-lexical orthographic knowledge. Our findings revealed that both pathways, representing the main self-teaching and rapid naming hypotheses, are active and work in both Grades, reflecting the parallel support of the two classic theories of orthographic knowledge development.

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Data availability

The data that support the findings of this study are available on request from the corresponding author. The data are not publicly available due to privacy or ethical restrictions.

Notes

  1. Different terms are used to describe orthographic construct in literature. Hagiliassis, Pratt, and Johnston (Hagiliassis et al., 2006) suggested that orthographic terms can be classified based on two criteria: those relating to orthographic processing functions and those relating to crystallized orthographic representations. Some researchers refer to orthographic construct as word specific and general (Apel et al., 2019; Conrad et al., 2013) or lexical and sub-lexical, respectively (Commissaire & Besse, 2019). In this study, we use the terms lexical and sub-lexical orthographic knowledge. Lexical orthographic knowledge defines the stored mental orthographic representation of known words and sub-lexical orthographic knowledge refers to knowledge of language-specific orthographic patterns.

  2. Orthographic learning is widely acknowledged as the process by which readers develop orthographic knowledge.

  3. Children are asked to read new words (e.g. veap), that are repeated several times, embedded in stories and then spell or choose correct spellings of those words (e.g. veap or veep).

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Funding

For this research the first author got a grant which was co-financed by Greece and the European Union (European Social Fund-ESF) through the Operational Programme «Human Resources Development, Education and Lifelong Learning» in the context of the project “Scholarships programme for post- graduate studies” (MIS-5000432), implemented by the State Scholarships Foundation.

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Conceptualization, S.G.; methodology, S.G. and S.P.; formal analysis, S.G.; data curation, S.G. and S.P.; writing—original draft preparation, S.G.; writing—review and editing, A.M. and S.P.; supervision, S.P. and A.M.; funding acquisition, S.G. All authors have read and agreed to the published version of the manuscript.

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Correspondence to Sophia Giazitzidou.

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Giazitzidou, S., Mouzaki, A. & Padeliadu, S. How orthographic knowledge is related to efficient word reading? Testing competing hypotheses. Read Writ (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11145-024-10525-8

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11145-024-10525-8

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