NotesFAQContact Us
Collection
Advanced
Search Tips
Back to results
Peer reviewed Peer reviewed
Direct linkDirect link
ERIC Number: EJ1462755
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2025-Mar
Pages: 27
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0922-4777
EISSN: EISSN-1573-0905
Available Date: 2024-04-03
Between-Word Processing and Text-Level Skills Contributing to Fluent Reading of (Non)Word Lists and Text
Sietske van Viersen1,2; Angeliki Altani2,4; Peter F. de Jong3; Athanassios Protopapas2
Reading and Writing: An Interdisciplinary Journal, v38 n3 p671-697 2025
Recent studies have shown that fluent reading of word lists requires additional skills beyond efficient recognition of individual words. This study examined the specific contribution of between-word processing (sequential processing efficiency, indexed by serial digit RAN) and subskills related to text-level processing (vocabulary and syntactic skills) to a wide range of reading fluency tasks, while accounting for within-word processes (i.e., those involved in phonological recoding, orthographic decoding, and sight word reading). The sample included 139 intermediate-level (Grade 3, n = 78) and more advanced (Grade 5, n = 61) readers of Dutch. Fluency measures included simple and complex lists of words and nonwords, and a complex text. Data were analyzed through hierarchical regressions and commonality analyses. The findings confirm the importance of between-word processing for fluent reading and extend evidence from simple word lists and texts to complex word lists and texts, and simple and complex lists of nonwords. The findings hold for both intermediate-level and more advanced readers and, as expected, the contribution of between-word processing increased with reading-skill level. Effects of vocabulary were generally absent, aside from a small effect on text reading fluency in Grade 3. No effects of syntactic skills were found, even in more advanced readers. The results support the idea that once efficient individual word recognition is in place, further fluency development is driven by more efficient between-word processing. The findings also confirm that vocabulary may be less prominent in processing mechanisms underlying fluent word identification in transparent orthographies, across reading levels.
Springer. Available from: Springer Nature. One New York Plaza, Suite 4600, New York, NY 10004. Tel: 800-777-4643; Tel: 212-460-1500; Fax: 212-460-1700; e-mail: customerservice@springernature.com; Web site: https://link.springer.com/
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Elementary Education; Early Childhood Education; Grade 3; Primary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A
Author Affiliations: 1Utrecht University, Department of Development and Education of Youth in Diverse Societies, Utrecht, The Netherlands; 2University of Oslo, Department of Special Needs Education, Oslo, Norway; 3University of Amsterdam, Research Institute of Child Development and Education, Amsterdam, The Netherlands; 4University of Maryland, Department of Counseling, Higher Education, and Special Education, Maryland, USA