The role of executive function in reading comprehension among beginning readers

Bibliographic Data

ID9614780
AuthorsCathy On‐ying Hung (0000-0003-4821-2099, Yew Chung College of Early Childhood Education Hong Kong, China, corresponding author)
Year2021
Volume91
Issue2
Pages600-616
Publication date2021-06-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueBritish Journal of Educational Psychology (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0007-0998 • E-ISSN: 2044-8279
PublisherWiley (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1111/bjep.12382
PMID33068464
OpenAlexW3093297579
LanguageEN
Citations received5
References cited66

Empirical evidence supports the importance of executive function (EF) in reading, but the underlying mechanism through which EF contributes to the reading process is unclear. The present study examined the direct and indirect effects of EF on reading comprehension through the indirect pathway of language and cognitive skills (i.e., syntactic awareness and text‐connecting inferencing) among the beginning readers. The sample included one hundred and sixty‐five 2 nd and 3 rd grade students. The participants were tested on working memory (visuospatial working memory and verbal working memory) and inhibition (prepotent response inhibition and cognitive inhibition), and their syntactic awareness, inference‐making, and reading comprehension. The unitary EF construct was obtained by means of confirmatory factor analysis based on the structure of EF in middle childhood suggested in developmental studies. Structural equation modelling was used to examine the direct and indirect effects of EF on the reading outcome. The findings indicated that EF has a direct effect on reading comprehension among the beginning readers. The indirect pathway showed that EF supports the ability to evaluate on grammatical structure of sentences (i.e., syntactic awareness) during reading. However, the indirect effect of EF on reading via inference‐making ability is insignificant. The findings highlight the contributions of EF to reading and provide empirical evidence to the hypothetical relation between EF and language skills suggested in DIER (Kim, 2020, Resarch Quarterly, 50, 459). It further extends our knowledge on the roles of EF in the reading process among the beginning readers. Future research directions are implicated as well

Cognition · Cognitive psychology · Comprehension · Confirmatory factor analysis · Developmental psychology · Inference · Linguistics · Reading (process) · Reading comprehension · Structural equation modeling · Working memory · Cognitive and developmental aspects of mathematical skills · Neuroscience, Education and Cognitive Function · Psychology · Reading and Literacy Development

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