TY - JOUR
T1 - Derivational morphological awareness, academic vocabulary, and reading comprehension in linguistically diverse sixth graders
AU - Kieffer, Michael J.
AU - Box, Catherine DiFelice
N1 - Funding Information:
This research was supported by a small grant from the Spencer Foundation as well as a Dean's Grant for Pretenured Faculty from Teachers College, Columbia University , both awarded to the first author. The authors would like to thank the students who participated in this research as well as the teachers and administrators who made the work possible.
PY - 2013/4
Y1 - 2013/4
N2 - This study investigated the multiple roles of morphological awareness in reading comprehension for Spanish-speaking language minority (LM) learners and their native English-speaking (NE) peers. Sixth-grade students (N= 137; 82 LM, 55 NE) were assessed on English measures of derivational morphological awareness, morphologically complex academic vocabulary, silent word reading fluency, and reading comprehension. Multiple-group path analyses indicated that morphological awareness made a significant unique contribution to comprehension as well as indirect contributions to comprehension via academic vocabulary and word reading fluency. Predictive relations were the same across language groups, with the exception of the indirect contribution via academic vocabulary, which was greater for NE speakers than for LM learners. Findings extend prior research by confirming the importance of morphological awareness in literacy development for LM learners and specifying particular roles in academic vocabulary and fluency development, suggesting the value of integrating morphology into multifaceted reading instruction in linguistically diverse classrooms.
AB - This study investigated the multiple roles of morphological awareness in reading comprehension for Spanish-speaking language minority (LM) learners and their native English-speaking (NE) peers. Sixth-grade students (N= 137; 82 LM, 55 NE) were assessed on English measures of derivational morphological awareness, morphologically complex academic vocabulary, silent word reading fluency, and reading comprehension. Multiple-group path analyses indicated that morphological awareness made a significant unique contribution to comprehension as well as indirect contributions to comprehension via academic vocabulary and word reading fluency. Predictive relations were the same across language groups, with the exception of the indirect contribution via academic vocabulary, which was greater for NE speakers than for LM learners. Findings extend prior research by confirming the importance of morphological awareness in literacy development for LM learners and specifying particular roles in academic vocabulary and fluency development, suggesting the value of integrating morphology into multifaceted reading instruction in linguistically diverse classrooms.
KW - English language learners
KW - Language minority learners
KW - Morphological awareness
KW - Reading comprehension
KW - Vocabulary
KW - Word reading fluency
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U2 - 10.1016/j.lindif.2012.12.017
DO - 10.1016/j.lindif.2012.12.017
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:84875238958
SN - 1041-6080
VL - 24
SP - 168
EP - 175
JO - Learning and Individual Differences
JF - Learning and Individual Differences
ER -