ERIC Number: EJ962055
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2011
Pages: 21
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0279-6015
EISSN: N/A
Effects of Reading Comprehension on Passage Fluency in Spanish and English for Second-Language Learners
Baker, Doris Luft; Stoolmiller, Mike; Good, Roland H., III; Baker, Scott K.
School Psychology Review, v40 n3 p331-351 2011
We empirically examined the effect of reading comprehension on passage fluency in English and Spanish in the context of Cummins interdependence hypothesis (1979) and Perfetti's blueprint of the General Components of Reading (1999). Participants were 96 second-grade English learners being taught to read in Spanish and English. Measures in both languages were used to assess word reading, passage fluency, and reading comprehension. Results of structural equation modeling (SEM) indicated that (a) Spanish and English passage fluency are both affected by comprehension even after taking word list fluency into account, and (b) the structure of the relation of word reading fluency and reading comprehension to passage fluency appears to be constant across languages. These findings support passage fluency as an indicator of reading proficiency in two alphabetic languages that vary in the transparency of their orthographies. Implications for school psychologists are discussed. (Contains 5 tables and 4 figures.)
Descriptors: Reading Comprehension, Reading Fluency, Structural Equation Models, School Psychologists, Word Lists, Second Language Learning, Grade 2, Evaluation Methods, English, Reading Instruction, Elementary School Teachers, Foreign Countries
National Association of School Psychologists. 4340 East West Highway Suite 402, Bethesda, MD 20814. Tel: 301-657-0270; Fax: 301-657-0275; e-mail: publications@naspweb.org; Web site: http://www.nasponline.org/publications/
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Elementary Education; Grade 2
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A
IES Cited: ED544197