The Effect of Anxiety on the Measurement of Reading Fluency and Comprehension

Abstract

The purpose of the current study was to examine the relationship between anxiety and performance on measures of reading fluency and reading comprehension in fourth, fifth, and sixth grade students. The study found that there is a significant negative correlation between social anxiety and reading comprehension but no significant correlation between social anxiety and reading fluency. These findings further demonstrate the distinction between the cognitive processes that underlie reading fluency and reading comprehension. The results also align with the tenets of Processing Efficiency Theory in that more complex tasks that significantly tax working memory (like reading comprehension) are more likely affected by anxiety than those tasks that do not rely as heavily on working memory (such as reading fluency). The Effect of Anxiety on the Measurement of Reading Fluency and Comprehension With increased federal and state mandates for accountability, schools are increasing their efforts to insure quality instruction and positive student outcomes through frequent progress monitoring. Due to its impact on many academic areas, students’ reading has received the most focus and attention in these efforts. As such, it is essential to insure that assessment for classroom monitoring and decision-making is maximally reliable, valid, and interpreted correctly. In this regard, the current study investigated the effects of anxiety on the measurement of student reading fluency and comprehension. Based on the literature supporting Processing Efficiency Theory, the researchers hypothesized that students’ assessed anxiety would have a greater influence on students’ reading comprehension than their reading fluency.