The Componential Model of Reading

Abstract

This study, framed by the component model of reading (CMR), examined the relative importance of kindergarten-entry predictors of first grade reading performance. Specifically, elements within the ecological domain included dialect, maternal education, amount of preschool, and home literacy; elements within the psychological domain included teacher-reported academic competence, social skills, and behavior; and elements within the cognitive domain included initial vocabulary, phonological, and morpho-syntactic skills, and alphabetic and word recognition skills. Data were obtained for 224 culturally diverse kindergarteners (58% Black, 35% White, and 9% Hispanic; 58% received free or reduced-price lunch) from a larger study conducted in seven predominantly high poverty schools (n = 20 classrooms) in a midsized city school district in northern Florida. Results from a hierarchical multiple regression (with variables in the ecological domain entered first, followed by the psychological and cognitive domains) revealed a model that explained roughly 56% of the variance in first grade reading achievement, using fall-of-kindergarten predictors. Letter-word reading and morpho-syntactic skill were the strongest significant predictors. The findings largely support the CMR model as a means to understand individual differences in reading acquisition and, in turn, to support data-based instructional decisions for a wider range of children.

Dialect variation, dialect-shifting, and reading comprehension in second grade

“…An increasing number of longitudinal and cross-sectional studies have examined this relationship (e.g., Charity, Scarborough, & Griffin, 2004; Craig, Zhang, Hensel, & Quinn, 2009; Hernandez, Folsom, Al Otaiba, Greulich, Thomas-Tate, & Connor, 2012; Labov & Baker, 2010; Terry, Connor, Thomas-Tate, & Love, 2010; Terry, Connor, Petscher, & Conlin, 2012). Although primarily focused on spoken AAE use among African American children, across these studies, researchers have observed significant relationships between children’s spoken NMAE production and beginning reading and reading-related skills, including alphabet knowledge, phonological awareness, vocabulary, and word reading.…”

“…Although primarily focused on spoken AAE use among African American children, across these studies, researchers have observed significant relationships between children’s spoken NMAE production and beginning reading and reading-related skills, including alphabet knowledge, phonological awareness, vocabulary, and word reading. Importantly, when examined in diverse samples, researchers have found these relations to be independent of socioeconomic status (SES) and race differences (e.g., Hernandez et al, 2012; Terry et al, 2010; 2012). …”

“…For example, in a relatively large longitudinal study (n=224), Hernandez and colleagues (2012) found that children’s spoken NMAE production at the beginning of kindergarten was negatively correlated with their word reading, phonological awareness, and expressive vocabulary skills in kindergarten and composite reading achievement at the end of first grade. In a smaller longitudinal sample (n=49), Terry and Connor (2012) found that children’s NMAE production at the end of kindergarten contributed negatively and independently to variance in word reading skill at the end of first grade, even after accounting for phonological awareness skills.…”

Bidirectional relations between phonological awareness and letter knowledge in preschool revisited: A growth curve analysis of the relation between two code-related skills

“…Furthermore, the pattern of individual differences in reading skill may stabilize as early as the kindergarten year. First-grade reading achievement is strongly predicted by kindergarten letter knowledge and phonological awareness, even after controlling for parental education level and teacher-rated academic competence (Ortiz et al, 2012). In light of the relation between skilled reading and quality of life and the early emergence of stable individual differences in reading skill, it is critically important to examine the factors that influence the development of skilled reading.…”

An Examination of Kindergarten Oral Language for African American Students: Are There Meaningful Differences in Comparison to Peers?

“…Because African American students were generally lower in oral language skills in comparison to their non-African American classmates, our results also suggest further investigation into the role that AAE plays in the development of early oral language and literacy skills. Recent studies have investigated AAE and other forms of Nonmainstream American English (NMAE; e.g., Connor & Craig, 2006; Oetting & Newkirk, 2011; Terry, 2006), and its relation to early literacy achievement (e.g., Ortiz et al, 2012; Terry et al, 2012; Terry et al, 2010), noting the complexity of the relationship between dialect use and literacy development. The ability to dialect shift from NMAE to MAE in various literacy contexts may be a unique predictor of literacy skills or it may be an oral language skill itself, more specifically, a metalinguistic skill (Connor & Craig, 2006; Terry, 2012), that contributes to the development of reading skills (Craig et al, 2009).…”