Abstract
In the present study, we explored the unique contribution of reading accuracy, reading fluency and linguistic comprehension within the frame of Simple View of Reading (SVR). The experimental sample included 118 3rd to 5th grade children learning Italian, a language with a highly regular orthography. We adopted a flexible method of analysis, i.e., the Network Analysis (NA), particularly suited for exploring relations among different domains and where the direct relations between a set of intercorrelated variables is the main interest. Results indicated an independent and unique contribution of syntactic comprehension skills as well as reading fluency and reading accuracy in the comprehension of a written text. The decoding measures were not directly associated with non-verbal reasoning and the latter was not directly associated with reading comprehension but was strongly related to oral syntactic comprehension. Overall, the pattern of findings is broadly consistent with the predictions of SVR and underscores how, in an orthographically regular language, reading fluency and reading accuracy as well as oral comprehension skills directly influence reading comprehension. Data are discussed in a cross-linguistic perspective. Implications for education and rehabilitation are also presented.
Highlights
Reading comprehension is a multifaceted cognitive task that is critical for achieving good results in formal instruction, employment and the activities of daily living
Roch and Levorato (2009) tested the Simple View of Reading (SVR) in adolescents with Down’s Syndrome and in a small control group of first graders matched for reading comprehension to the participants with Down’s
Word reading fluency was the strongest predictor of reading comprehension in the control group, whereas nonword accuracy did not make a unique contribution to reading comprehension over and above listening comprehension
Summary
Reading comprehension is a multifaceted cognitive task that is critical for achieving good results in formal instruction, employment and the activities of daily living. A wide range of actions rely on individual ability to extract meaning from written texts. In this regard, it is important to frame individual performance within models of reading comprehension that are able to identify individual differences and may help improve both learning curricula and clinical interventions. Decoding is defined as the ability to read isolated single words “quickly, accurately and silently” (Gough and Tunmer, 1986; page 7). Linguistic comprehension (L) is defined as the controllare originale:“process by which, given lexical (i.e., word) information, sentence and discourses are interpreted” (Gough and Tunmer, 1986, page 7). It refers to higher cognitive processes that go beyond reading and concern the oral language system
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