Getting at How: Testing Mediating Factors in the Relation between Morphological Awareness and Reading Comprehension in Grade 1

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Bibliographic Details
Title: Getting at How: Testing Mediating Factors in the Relation between Morphological Awareness and Reading Comprehension in Grade 1
Language: English
Authors: Sofia Giazitzidou (ORCID 0000-0002-7892-7653), Kyle Levesque, Hélène Deacon
Source: Reading Research Quarterly. 2025 60(2).
Availability: Wiley. Available from: John Wiley & Sons, Inc. 111 River Street, Hoboken, NJ 07030. Tel: 800-835-6770; e-mail: cs-journals@wiley.com; Web site: https://www.wiley.com/en-us
Peer Reviewed: Y
Page Count: 21
Publication Date: 2025
Document Type: Journal Articles
Reports - Research
Education Level: Elementary Education
Early Childhood Education
Grade 1
Primary Education
Descriptors: Elementary School Students, Grade 1, Morphology (Languages), Reading Comprehension, Word Recognition, Vocabulary Development, Phonological Awareness, Nonverbal Ability, Socioeconomic Status, Age, Short Term Memory, Correlation, Early Reading, Reading Instruction
DOI: 10.1002/rrq.70007
ISSN: 0034-0553
1936-2722
Abstract: The relation of morphological awareness with reading comprehension is well established. For this advance to inform instruction, the push is now on to understand how morphological awareness is related to reading comprehension. We address this question here by examining potential mechanisms. We do so with children in Grade 1, a time at which it is widely debated as to whether to include morphology instruction. We examine three potential mediating factors through which morphological awareness may contribute to reading comprehension: word reading, vocabulary, and morphological analysis, or the ability to use morphemes to understand morphologically complex words. A total of 336 English-speaking Grade 1 children participated and completed control measures of phonological awareness, nonverbal ability, socioeconomic status, working memory, and age. Initial confirmatory factor analyses showed the separability of morphological awareness, morphological analysis, and vocabulary. Multivariate path analyses revealed two indirect pathways from morphological awareness to reading comprehension: through word reading and through morphological analysis. There were no indirect effects via vocabulary, nor were there direct effects from morphological awareness to reading comprehension beyond the other variables. These findings identify two potential mechanisms by which morphological awareness connects with early reading comprehension. These findings will inform theories of reading development and may influence the development of effective early reading instruction.
Abstractor: As Provided
Entry Date: 2025
Accession Number: EJ1468450
Database: ERIC
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Abstract:The relation of morphological awareness with reading comprehension is well established. For this advance to inform instruction, the push is now on to understand how morphological awareness is related to reading comprehension. We address this question here by examining potential mechanisms. We do so with children in Grade 1, a time at which it is widely debated as to whether to include morphology instruction. We examine three potential mediating factors through which morphological awareness may contribute to reading comprehension: word reading, vocabulary, and morphological analysis, or the ability to use morphemes to understand morphologically complex words. A total of 336 English-speaking Grade 1 children participated and completed control measures of phonological awareness, nonverbal ability, socioeconomic status, working memory, and age. Initial confirmatory factor analyses showed the separability of morphological awareness, morphological analysis, and vocabulary. Multivariate path analyses revealed two indirect pathways from morphological awareness to reading comprehension: through word reading and through morphological analysis. There were no indirect effects via vocabulary, nor were there direct effects from morphological awareness to reading comprehension beyond the other variables. These findings identify two potential mechanisms by which morphological awareness connects with early reading comprehension. These findings will inform theories of reading development and may influence the development of effective early reading instruction.
ISSN:0034-0553
1936-2722
DOI:10.1002/rrq.70007