Contributions of decoding and listening comprehension to reading comprehension at different levels: Exploring the mediating roles of oral and silent reading fluency

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Previous research has highlighted the mediating role of oral reading fluency (ORF) between decoding and reading comprehension (RC) in lower grades, but uncertainties remain regarding the roles of listening comprehension (LC) and silent reading fluency (SRF). The purpose of this study was to investigate how decoding and LC influence RC through ORF and SRF. The participants included 449 Chinese students from grades 2, 4, and 6. Decoding and LC were tested at Time 1, with nonverbal intelligence, working memory, and rapid automatized naming as control variables. After half a year, ORF, SRF, and RC were tested at Time 2. The results showed that: (1) The mediating effect of ORF was significant between decoding and in-text comprehension of second and fourth graders, and between decoding and beyond-text comprehension of sixth graders. (2) The SRF mediated the effect of LC on fourth graders' in-text comprehension, as well as the effects of decoding and LC on sixth graders' in-text and beyond-text comprehension. In conclusion, this study highlights the importance of ORF and SRF in the reading development among Chinese students. Educational relevance statementThis study suggests that oral and silent reading fluency mediated the relations between decoding/listening comprehension and reading comprehension, with oral reading fluency showing a significant mediating effect in lower grades and silent reading fluency being more crucial in upper grades. These findings can inform the development of effective interventions that target specific components to improve the overall reading proficiency. The findings demonstrated a developmental trend as children progress through elementary grades, shifting from an emphasis on oral reading to silent reading, and from understanding the actual text to reading beyond the text. Furthermore, the study findings align with the requirements of the Chinese Curriculum Standards for Compulsory Education, in which first and second graders are instructed to read aloud accurately and fluently, whereas third and fourth graders are asked to read silently. The predominant mode in grades 5 and 6 is silent reading, in which students are required to read silently with speed and accuracy. To conclude, educators should tailor their teaching strategies to effectively target these skills at different developmental stages.