What you say matters - even for correlations between RAN, reading fluency, and comprehension

TY - ABST

T1 - What you say matters - even for correlations between RAN, reading fluency, and comprehension

AU - Poulsen, Mads

AU - Juul, Holger

N1 - Conference code: 25

PY - 2018/7/19

Y1 - 2018/7/19

N2 - Purpose: The study investigated the possibility that the item characteristics of rapid automatized naming (RAN) tasks can shift the task demands from lexical access to phonological processing, and that this influences the correlational patterns with different reading measures. RAN formats with strong phonological demands are predicted to be the strongest correlates of reading fluency, while strong lexical access demands are predicted to be the strongest correlates of comprehension.Method: Grade 2 students completed four different RAN tasks. Two RAN tasks used letters (low lexical load) and two used pictures (high lexical load) as items. Both types of items were used in either a repeated version where a set of four items were repeated multiple times (low lexical load), or in a unique version where each item was unique (high lexical load). Reading fluency was assessed at the end of Grade 2 and in Grade 5 and reading comprehension was administered in Grade 5.Results: Preliminary analyses showed that models where four different formats were divided into separate factors provided the best fit to the data. Only the repeated letter format (lowest lexical load) had direct effect on G2 and G5 reading fluency. The unique picture format (highest lexical load) had direct effect on G5 reading comprehension.Conclusions: The results indicate that item characteristics can shift the cognitive demands of RAN tasks. Lexical access demands may increase the relationship with reading comprehension processes, but may be irrelevant for the RAN’s contribution to reading fluency.

AB - Purpose: The study investigated the possibility that the item characteristics of rapid automatized naming (RAN) tasks can shift the task demands from lexical access to phonological processing, and that this influences the correlational patterns with different reading measures. RAN formats with strong phonological demands are predicted to be the strongest correlates of reading fluency, while strong lexical access demands are predicted to be the strongest correlates of comprehension.Method: Grade 2 students completed four different RAN tasks. Two RAN tasks used letters (low lexical load) and two used pictures (high lexical load) as items. Both types of items were used in either a repeated version where a set of four items were repeated multiple times (low lexical load), or in a unique version where each item was unique (high lexical load). Reading fluency was assessed at the end of Grade 2 and in Grade 5 and reading comprehension was administered in Grade 5.Results: Preliminary analyses showed that models where four different formats were divided into separate factors provided the best fit to the data. Only the repeated letter format (lowest lexical load) had direct effect on G2 and G5 reading fluency. The unique picture format (highest lexical load) had direct effect on G5 reading comprehension.Conclusions: The results indicate that item characteristics can shift the cognitive demands of RAN tasks. Lexical access demands may increase the relationship with reading comprehension processes, but may be irrelevant for the RAN’s contribution to reading fluency.

M3 - Conference abstract for conference

T2 - 25th Annual conference of the Society for the Scientific Study of Reading

Y2 - 18 July 2018 through 21 July 2018

ER -