Development and interactions among academic performance, word recognition, listening, and reading comprehension

Abstract

This study investigated how the development of word recognition, listening and reading comprehension skills correlates with academic performance over the course of elementary school. The Contrastive Test of Listening and Reading Comprehension and the Words and Non-words Reading Competence Test were used to assess 301 Brazilian students attending the 1 st to 4 th grades of elementary education, whose academic performance records were provided by the school at the end of the year. Analysis shows a signifi cant effect of grade level on all variables and a pattern of higher scores in items that can be read by logographic strategy and lower scores for items that need orthographic processing. Several signifi cant correlations between measured skills and academic performance were found, though the pattern of these correlations shifted within different grade levels. There were stronger relations between academic performance and more elementary abilities, such as logographic strategy of reading and listening comprehension in the 1st grade, and with more complex skills developing during the next three grades, as shown by the increase of correlations with alphabetic and orthographic strategies and reading comprehension. These data can help guide practices that stimulate relevant skills in each school level. Keywords: School learning, development, reading skills. ResumoEste estudo investigou como o desenvolvimento das habilidades de reconhecimento de palavras, compreensão auditiva e de leitura relaciona-se ao desempenho escolar ao longo do Ensino Fundamental I. O Teste Contrastivo de Compreensão Auditiva e de Leitura e o Teste de Reconhecimento de Palavras e Pseudopalavras foram utilizados na avaliação de 301 estudantes brasileiros da 1ª à 4ª série do Ensino Fundamental. As notas escolares foram fornecidas pela escola ao término do ano letivo. As análises revelaram efeito signifi cativo da série sobre todas as variáveis e um padrão com escores mais elevados em itens que podem ser lidos pela estratégia logográfi ca e escores mais baixos para itens que demandam processamento ortográfi co. Diversas correlações signifi cativas entre as habilidades mensuradas e o desempenho escolar foram encontradas, porém o padrão destas correlações mudou nas diferentes séries escolares. Houve correlações mais fortes entre desempenho escolar e habilidades mais elementares, como a estratégia logográfi ca de leitura e a compreensão auditiva, na 1ª série, e com habilidades mais complexas desenvolvendo-se ao longo das três séries sucessivas, como evidente pelo aumento de correlações com as estratégias alfabética e ortográfi ca e com a compreensão de leitura. Os dados podem auxiliar a orientar práticas para estimular habilidades relevantes em cada nível escolar. Palavras-chave: Aprendizagem escolar, desenvolvimento, habilidades de leitura. * Mailing address: Av. Franz Voegeli, 577, Bl. 5, Apto. 6, Osasco, SP,. E-mail: natalia.dias@unifi eo.br This article adds a developmental perspective in the investigation of reading strategies, listening...

Listening skill among socially disadvantaged students in relation to academic performance at higher education in West Bengal

“…Findings of the present study seemed to be inconsistent with the mentioned reality and contradicts findings of so many studies especially of the study on two thousand undergraduate Chinese students enrolled in American universities (Huang, 2004). Although reading skills found to have greater importance than listening skills in affecting academic performance (Dias, Montiel, & Seabra, 2015), current study revealed a positive correlation between listening skills and academic performance that indicates, if listening skill improves there may be possibility of exhibiting improved academic performance.…”

Instrumentos de avaliação de leitura em adultos: um estudo psicométrico

“…Another study with a sample of elementary school children (using a version of WRCT specific for this age group) identified different factors that separate the items that can be read logographically or via the phonological route from those requiring the lexical route 15 , which did not occur in the present study. This result may be related to aspects of development since that study by Seabra et al 15 was carried out with children in elementary school, a period in which word recognition routes are being achieved and consolidated 22 . On the other hand, the present study involved adults, and therefore it is expected that all routes to reading be fully consolidated, which can make it difficult to dissociate them in terms of performance.…”

“…On the other hand, Inversions, Misspellings, and Phonological Exchanges can be read only via phonological or lexical routes. Peseudohomophones can be read using the lexical processing only 21,22 . A possible explanation is that some type of conflict would result in reading words with errors or pseudowords (e.g.…”

“…These routes are developed throughout the school years and are used depending on the type of item that the reader comes across. Pseudowords, for example, are read via the phonological route, whereas irregular words can only be properly read via the lexical route 22 . In a study involving 100 college students (60% female), it was found that the average score of good readers on the WRCT-2 is 64 points.…”

School performance at the end of elementary school: Contributions of intelligence, language, and executive functions

“…There is evidence of the particular contribution of specific oral language and reading skills, i.e., Phonological Awareness (PA, ability to identify and manipulate sound segments in words), to word recognition and contribution of vocabulary (a set of words which convey a meaning) to reading comprehension (Seabra & Dias, 2012a). In addition, evidence suggests that these reading skills are also related to school performance (Dias, Seabra, & Montiel, 2015).…”