Although there is evidence for a close link between early phonological skills and the development of vocabulary and decoding abilities, it is less clear which factors modulate the development of phonological skills. This study longitudinally explored the relation of contextual family variables on the development of phonological skills in 104…

This study takes a more holistic look at reading support, to explore what else is happening in this teaching and learning context, beyond the acquisition of a more secure knowledge of decoding skills. Children are deemed in need of a reading support intervention when their literacy skills are assessed as being significantly below the levels…

This study investigates the role of diglossic and orthographic features in reading comprehension in Arabic. Specifically, it probes the independent contribution of language, metalinguistic, and decoding skills in the spoken language and in Standard Arabic to reading comprehension in the "abjad" writing system of Arabic. A sample of 112…

Educational technology is ubiquitous, and educational technology interventions often target literacy. However, there is insufficient information about the effects of these interventions on literacy outcomes in elementary school. Therefore, we conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis of quasi-experimental and experimental studies published…

Many second language (L2) students in Sweden struggle with reading in Swedish. There needs to be more research on how L2 students with weak word decoding skills in Swedish could be individually supported. Therefore, the current study examined the impact of a systematic and intensive word decoding intervention in Swedish among individual L2…

Childhood Apraxia of Speech (CAS) is a developmental speech sound disorder (SSD) notable for its severity and persistence of speech difficulties. A debate has surfaced historically about the cause of the speech and language deficits observed in the disorder. As children with CAS often present with comorbid language problems (i.e., receptive and…

We report on a school-based randomized control trial study comparing two morphological interventions with untaught controls: one focusing on direct instruction targeting print morphological decoding (direct decoding condition) and the other on inquiry-focused pedagogy using oral morphological analysis (inquiry-analysis condition). We identified 63…

This study explores the underlying component reading skills that explain reading comprehension challenges faced by learners in multilingual settings who are instructed in a language in which they may or may not have oral language proficiency. Using data collected in the Philippines, Rwanda, and Kenya, we apply a two-step latent class analysis to…

Background: Research has demonstrated that distinct oral language skills contribute unique variance to text comprehension in students from second grade onward. This study examined these relationships for kindergarten students whose comprehension is often assumed to be determined by word decoding skills. Method: Eighty-eight kindergarten students…

This paper summarizes three theoretically related experimental pilot studies conducted in developing a new intervention for students with word reading difficulties. Each independent experiment tested instructional elements influenced by perspectives on lexical quality, connectionism, and statistical learning. Intervention components that showed…

An estimated one-fifth of adults in the United States possess low literacy skills, which includes minimal proficiency in reading and difficulty processing contextual information. One way to study reading behavior of adults with low literacy is through eye movement studies; however, these investigations have been generally limited. Thus, the…

Purpose: Many models of language comprehension assume that listeners predict the continuation of an incoming linguistic stimulus immediately after its onset, based on only partial linguistic and contextual information. Their related developmental models try to determine which cues (e.g., semantic or morphosyntactic) trigger such prediction, and to…

This article explores the vital but often overlooked role of inferencing in early reading comprehension. While foundational decoding skills such as phonological awareness and fluency are essential, reading comprehension depends equally on children's ability to construct meaning beyond the words on the page. Drawing on the "Simple View of…

Purpose: Having a clear understanding of the types and amounts of classroom literacy learning opportunities is important for contextualizing children's early literacy performance. In this study, we examine the content, context, and management of literacy learning opportunities in a large, geographically diverse sample in the United States. We also…

This paper presents a new theory and model of the teaching of decoding, reading and writing. The first part of the paper reviews a selection of influential models of learning to read and write that to varying degrees have been used as the basis for approaches to teaching, including the "Simple View of Reading." As well as noting some…