Considering the Role of Executive Function in Reading Comprehension: A Structural Equation Modeling Approach

Abstract

In the present study, we used latent variable structural equation modeling to investigate relations between oral language, decoding, and two components of executive function (cognitive flexibility and working memory) and reading comprehension in a sample of 271 native English-speaking 9.00-to 14.83-year-olds. Results of the mediation analyses indicated that both oral language and decoding fully mediated the relations between working memory and cognitive flexibility and reading comprehension. These findings suggest that executive function is likely associated with reading comprehension through its relation with decoding and oral language and provide additional support for the role of executive function in reading comprehension as a potentially crucial precursor to skilled reading.

Language skills, and not executive functions, predict the development of reading comprehension of early readers: evidence from an orthographically transparent language

“…Thus, to test the assumption that executive functions have an effect on reading comprehension beyond fluent decoding and language skills and to minimize the measurement errors of executive functions, it is necessary to include multiple measures of executive functions and test their effect with latent variable constructs. Only a few recent studies have accomplished this goal (e.g., Spencer et al, 2019) and similarly rigorous research is still needed (see also Follmer, 2018;Keiffer et al, 2013).…”

“…Second, most studies that indicated an association between executive functions and reading comprehension were cross-sectional and did not explain the development of reading comprehension over time. For instance, only 4 out of 29 studies included in Follmer's analysis were longitudinal, and more recent studies had the same limitation (Cirino et al, 2019;Liu et al, 2018;Spencer et al, 2019). Yet, in order to understand the extent of which executive functions predict the development of reading comprehension, longitudinal studies are warranted (see also Keiffer et al, 2013).…”

“…Indeed, many studies that associated executive functions with the reading comprehension of elementary school children tested the executive functions using language-dependent tasks such as verbal working memory (Stipek & Valentino, 2015) or listening recall (Chrysochoou, Bablekou, & Tsigilis, 2011). Only a few studies adequately controlled for the potential confounding effects of language comprehension (Cirino et al, 2019;Spencer et al, 2019). Other studies completely omitted (e.g., Meixner et al, 2019) or minimally controlled for language skills (e.g., Garcia-Madruga, Villa, Gomez-Veiga, Duque & Elosua, 2014).…”

“…Another recent cross-sectional study (Cirino, et al, 2019) showed that executive functions can have a very small but unique contribution to reading comprehension, beyond fluent decoding and oral language skills among English speaking children in upper elementary school in the US. On the other hand, a cross-sectional study conducted in the US on a sample of children aged 9 through 14 showed that the effects of executive functions on reading comprehension were fully mediated by fluent decoding and oral language skills (Spencer, Richmond, & Cutting, 2019). Thus, it is not clear whether-or under what circumstances-executive functions can uniquely predict reading comprehension beyond the simple view of reading theoretical model.…”

The Contributions of Language Skills and Comprehension Monitoring to Chinese Reading Comprehension: A Longitudinal Investigation

“…Second, although important language and cognitive predictors were included in the study, some potential predictors of reading comprehension were not examined. Those predictors include phonological knowledge ( Pan et al, 2016 ), morphological knowledge ( Zhang et al, 2012 ), inference making ( Tompkins et al, 2013 ), working memory ( Spencer et al, 2019 ), the theory of mind ( Kim, 2015 , 2016 ), and text structure knowledge ( Cain et al, 2004 ). For example, working memory, as a basic cognitive skill maintaining and processing information, is important to reading comprehension as there is frequent integration of information across sentences ( Oakhill, 2020 ).…”