Examining factors and mechanisms of reading comprehension and reading fluency: Longitudinal evidence for Chinese children from grade 1 to grade 6

This study explored the early predictors of reading ability in Chinese children longitudinally and further examined whether shared or distinct mechanisms existed between reading comprehension and reading fluency. Metalinguistic awareness and rapid automatized naming (RAN) were administered in grade 1 (G1), word-level reading skills were administered in grade 4 (G4), and text-level reading abilities were administered in grade 6 (G6). After controlling for non-verbal intelligence and G1 working memory, the results showed that G1 morphological awareness had a significant effect on G6 reading comprehension, whereas G1 RAN predicted G6 reading fluency significantly. Furthermore, G4 vocabulary knowledge played a mediating role in the effect of G1 morphological awareness on G6 reading comprehension, while G1 RAN predicted G6 reading fluency via G4 word-reading fluency. These findings indicate the importance of early morphological awareness and RAN, and suggest the distinct rather than shared factors and mechanisms of reading comprehension and reading fluency. This longitudinal study reveals the unique and long-lasting effect of early morphological awareness on reading comprehension five years later, as well as the unique contribution of early rapid automatized naming (RAN) on reading fluency. It also highlights the mediating roles of vocabulary knowledge and word-reading fluency in these two paths, respectively. These findings offer insights into the distinct rather than shared mechanisms of reading comprehension and reading fluency. Providing explicit and systematic instruction on morphological awareness and RAN in early periods of elementary school may have cascading effects, initially enhancing word-level reading skills and subsequently facilitating text-level reading abilities.