Search

The present study examined the mediating role of text reading fluency in reading comprehension in English and Kiswahili utilizing longitudinal data from 628 first- and second-grade children from multilingual contexts in Kenya. We employed path analysis to explore the mediating role of text reading fluency on decoding and reading comprehension in English and Kiswahili. The results demonstrated that decoding and text reading fluency bridges the gap between word recognition skills and reading comprehension in English and Kiswahili. Over time, as children improve their reading skills, the direct influence of decoding on reading comprehension diminishes; hence, text reading fluency explains the unique variance in reading comprehension. The present findings highlight the importance of text reading fluency in the developmental phases of reading comprehension among multilingual children learning to read across multiple languages.

The present study examines the applicability of the simple view of reading (SVR) (Gough & Tunmer, 1986) model of reading comprehension in Kiswahili, a language that has a transparent orthography. We examined the developmental relationships among nonword decoding, listening comprehension, oral reading fluency, and reading comprehension using longitudinal data from a sample of 628 Kenyan children, enrolled in first and second grade. Children completed eight different tasks. We fit autoregressive cross-lagged path models with maximum likelihood estimation to examine the developmental relationships. Our findings showed support for the SVR model, given that both nonword decoding and listening comprehension were significant predictors of reading comprehension in Kiswahili. Nonword decoding was the stronger predictor. The results further revealed that both accuracy and speed of nonword decoding played significant roles in reading comprehension in Kiswahili for beginning readers. Our findings suggest that oral reading fluency and accuracy were significant predictors of reading comprehension. • Nonword decoding and listening comprehension influence reading comprehension in Kiswahili among beginning readers. • Accuracy and speed of nonword decoding both play a significant role in reading comprehension. • Oral reading accuracy and speed also influence reading comprehension in Kiswahili. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]