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Relationship Between Reading and Working Memory in Children and Adolescents: a Meta-Analysis.

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Title: Relationship Between Reading and Working Memory in Children and Adolescents: a Meta-Analysis.
Authors: Looi, Ling Lynette (AUTHOR), Lim, Wilson Peng Hian (AUTHOR), Wu, Chiao-Yi (AUTHOR), O'Brien, Beth Ann (AUTHOR), J. Yeo, Darren (AUTHOR), Chen, Shen-Hsing Annabel (AUTHOR)
Source: Educational Psychology Review. 4/29/2026, Vol. 38 Issue 1, p1-31. 31p.
Subjects: Reading, Decoders & decoding, School children, Teenagers, Struggling readers, Short-term memory
Abstract: Given the central role of working memory (WM) in reading, this study examined the relationship between reading, specifically decoding, and WM in children (5–12 years old) and adolescents (12–18 years old). A meta-analysis of 127 studies with 632 effect sizes found a significant moderate positive correlation between reading and WM. This relationship was consistent across the two age groups, suggesting that age alone does not influence this relationship. The domain of WM, however, was found to significantly moderate this relationship, with composite WM showing the strongest correlation with reading, followed by verbal-numerical WM. The study also highlighted that typically developing (TD) children demonstrated stronger reading-WM associations compared to those with reading difficulties (RD). Taken together, the present findings underscore the importance of considering WM in reading development and emphasise the need for future work to examine potential age-group differences in this relationship. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
Copyright of Educational Psychology Review is the property of Springer Nature and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)
Database: Psychology and Behavioral Sciences Collection
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  Data: Relationship Between Reading and Working Memory in Children and Adolescents: a Meta-Analysis.
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Looi%2C+Ling+Lynette%22">Looi, Ling Lynette</searchLink> (AUTHOR)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Lim%2C+Wilson+Peng+Hian%22">Lim, Wilson Peng Hian</searchLink> (AUTHOR)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Wu%2C+Chiao-Yi%22">Wu, Chiao-Yi</searchLink> (AUTHOR)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22O'Brien%2C+Beth+Ann%22">O'Brien, Beth Ann</searchLink> (AUTHOR)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22J%2E+Yeo%2C+Darren%22">J. Yeo, Darren</searchLink> (AUTHOR)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Chen%2C+Shen-Hsing+Annabel%22">Chen, Shen-Hsing Annabel</searchLink> (AUTHOR)
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="JN" term="%22Educational+Psychology+Review%22">Educational Psychology Review</searchLink>. 4/29/2026, Vol. 38 Issue 1, p1-31. 31p.
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Reading%22">Reading</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Decoders+%26+decoding%22">Decoders & decoding</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22School+children%22">School children</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Teenagers%22">Teenagers</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Struggling+readers%22">Struggling readers</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Short-term+memory%22">Short-term memory</searchLink>
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  Label: Abstract
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  Data: Given the central role of working memory (WM) in reading, this study examined the relationship between reading, specifically decoding, and WM in children (5–12 years old) and adolescents (12–18 years old). A meta-analysis of 127 studies with 632 effect sizes found a significant moderate positive correlation between reading and WM. This relationship was consistent across the two age groups, suggesting that age alone does not influence this relationship. The domain of WM, however, was found to significantly moderate this relationship, with composite WM showing the strongest correlation with reading, followed by verbal-numerical WM. The study also highlighted that typically developing (TD) children demonstrated stronger reading-WM associations compared to those with reading difficulties (RD). Taken together, the present findings underscore the importance of considering WM in reading development and emphasise the need for future work to examine potential age-group differences in this relationship. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
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  Data: <i>Copyright of Educational Psychology Review is the property of Springer Nature and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract.</i> (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)
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