The Reciprocal Relation Between Vocabulary Knowledge and Compound Structure Awareness and Their Contributions to Reading Comprehension in Chinese Children

A Longitudinal Study From Grades 3 to 6

Datos Bibliográficos

ID7166181
AutoresYahua Cheng (0000-0002-7064-4990, School of Government, Shanghai University of Political Science and Law Shanghai China), Yixun Li (0000-0003-2193-6126, Department of Early Childhood Education The Education University of Hong Kong Hong Kong, autor de correspondencia), Wenjian Zhang (0000-0003-4417-9818, Urban Management and Law Enforcement Bureau of Xihu District Hangzhou City Zhejiang Province China), Kaiyue Jia (0009-0008-1806-3815, Department of Early Childhood Education The Education University of Hong Kong Hong Kong)
Año2025
Volumen60
Número1
Fecha de publicación2025-01-01
Peer ReviewedSí
Open AccessSí
TipoARTICLE
RevistaReading Research Quarterly (JOURNAL)
Identificadores de la revistaISSN: 0034-0553 • E-ISSN: 1936-2722
EditorialWiley (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1002/rrq.606
OpenAlexW4406591406
IdiomaEN
Citas recibidas1
Referencias citadas56

Previous studies uncover that vocabulary knowledge may be related to compound structure awareness (the awareness of relational structure embedded in compound words), and they both contribute to reading comprehension. Yet, limited studies have examined the dynamic relationship between vocabulary knowledge and compound structure awareness, or their joint contributions (including growth rates) to reading comprehension. Our study aimed to fill this gap in Chinese, an ideal target language with complex grammatical structures of compound words. We followed 125 native Mandarin‐Chinese‐speaking children in Mainland China from Grades 3 to 6, with one testing point in the fall of each grade and a total of four testing times. These children's vocabulary, compound structure awareness, and text reading comprehension were measured as three key variables, and their Chinese character reading, word reading fluency, and compounding awareness were measured as three control variables in model analyses; all materials were adopted from previous research and were highly reliable and valid. We fitted the latent growth models and found that children's initial vocabulary in Grade 3 significantly predicted their compound structure awareness growth over Grades 3 to 6, and then predicted reading comprehension in Grade 6. However, such results were not evident the other way around. Importantly, initial vocabulary knowledge and compound structure awareness in Grade 3 and their growth rates from Grades 3 to 6 contributed to reading comprehension skills in Grade 6. Our findings demonstrate the necessity of considering vocabulary knowledge and compound structure awareness jointly and longitudinally to support early reading development

Cognitive psychology · Comprehension · Developmental psychology · Linguistics · Mathematics education · Phonological awareness · Reading (process) · Reading comprehension · Reciprocal · Reciprocal teaching · Relation (database) · Teaching method · Vocabulary · Vocabulary development · Cognitive and developmental aspects of mathematical skills · Computer Science · Educational Strategies and Epistemologies · Philosophy · Psychology · Reading and Literacy Development