ERIC Number: EJ1283968
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2021
Pages: 20
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1931-3152
EISSN: N/A
The Role of Vocabulary and Decoding Language Skills in Reading Comprehension: A Cross-Linguistic Perspective
Wawire, Brenda Aromu; Zuilkowski, Stephanie Simmons
International Multilingual Research Journal, v15 n1 p23-42 2021
The present study explored the role of vocabulary and decoding skills in predicting reading comprehension, utilizing data from 322 first- grade children from four elementary schools in Kenya. The children were administered a comprehensive battery of tests to assess pseudo-word reading skills, oral reading fluency, reading comprehension, and receptive vocabulary in English and Kiswahili. The results showed that receptive vocabulary and pseudo-word reading in English played a significant role in English reading comprehension. Kiswahili decoding explained a statistically significant unique variance of Kiswahili reading comprehension. An examination of the cross-linguistic variability showed that pseudo-word decoding in English and Kiswahili explained unique variance in reading comprehension cross-linguistically, while receptive vocabulary did not explain additional variance in reading comprehension across languages. These results add to the important evidence of receptive language skills and decoding skills in reading comprehension among multilingual children from low-middle income countries.
Descriptors: Vocabulary Development, Decoding (Reading), Language Skills, Reading Comprehension, Reading Fluency, Multilingualism, English (Second Language), African Languages, Native Language, Elementary School Students, Young Children, Grade 1, Receptive Language, Second Language Learning, Predictor Variables, Public Schools, Rural Schools, Developing Nations, Foreign Countries, Intelligence Tests, Transfer of Training
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Elementary Education; Early Childhood Education; Grade 1; Primary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Kenya
Identifiers - Assessments and Surveys: Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A