Influences of executive function, language comprehension, and fluency on young children’s reading comprehension

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to examine the extent to which children’s executive function predicted their reading comprehension performance. Participants were approximately 18,000 kindergartners in the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study, Kindergarten Class of 2010–2011. The results suggest that individual differences in reading comprehension were influenced by variations in executive function. Cognitive flexibility, inhibitory control, and working memory all accounted for unique variance in reading comprehension. Language comprehension and fluency mediated the relations between children’s executive function and their reading comprehension. Working memory accounted for the highest total effect among the three core aspects of executive function. Children’s first-grade language comprehension contributed the most indirect effect, while fluency had the reading comprehension. The importance of considering ways to improve executive function, language comprehension, and fluency when implementing reading instruction and what the parents can do to help their children’s executive function and reading skills are discussed.

Children’s Ability to Read from Computers and Smartphones

“…As a result the printed books support only sequential navigation (Kalogirou & Gkouni, 2012) and linear processing, and thereby do not support or challenge the unique cognitive requirements of individuals (Rose, 2005). The ability of an individual to read and comprehend is affected by a number of factors like word reading, inferences, strategies, vocabulary and background knowledge (Chang, 2020). As children become familiar with reading and writing, they start discovering other sources to seek knowledge (Holloway et al, 2013).…”

A lifespan perspective of cognitive control involvement during language comprehension

“…They interpreted this result as evidence of a common inhibitory process involved in both grammar processing and Stroop like processing. In a large-scale study involving 18000 kindergartners, Chang (2020) showed that executive control performances predicted reading comprehension with a mediation of language comprehension and fluency. Children's cognitive flexibility, inhibitory control and working memory were assessed in order to test which executive control components most accounted for reading comprehension performance predictions.…”

The Interactive Model of L2 Listening Processing in Chinese Bilinguals: A Multiple Mediation Analysis

“…Cognitive inhibition and cognitive flexibility are two different yet correlated abilities of cognitive control (Miyake et al, 2000). They have also been considered as two critical abilities for L2 processing (e.g., Kieffer et al, 2013;Nouwens et al, 2016;Chang, 2020).…”

“…It has been well-established that cognitive inhibition and cognitive flexibility function concurrently within L2 processing (e.g., Kieffer et al, 2013;Nouwens et al, 2016;Chang, 2020). During L2 listening processing, L2 learners may form multiple representations to predict the meaning of the utterance.…”