A missing piece of the reading comprehension puzzle

This study investigated how decoding, oral language, cognitive, and code-related skills in both first language (L1) Filipino and second language (L2) English contributed to reading comprehension, both within and across languages, among 193 Grades 1-3 Filipino-English bilingual children in the Philippines. Within-language structural equation modeling analyses revealed that decoding and oral language directly contributed to reading comprehension in both L1 and L2. Cognitive skills and code-related skills contributed indirectly through their effects on oral language and decoding. Cross-linguistically, only decoding and oral language within each language directly contributed to reading comprehension in both L1 and L2. L1 decoding indirectly influenced L2 reading comprehension via L2 decoding. Similarly, L2 decoding influenced L1 reading comprehension indirectly through L1 decoding. These findings underscore the roles of decoding and oral language in early Filipino-English bilingual children's reading comprehension, with language proficiency determining possible cross-language transfer between L1 Filipino and L2 English. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2026 APA, all rights reserved)

Cognition · Comprehension · First language · Language assessment · Language proficiency · Reading (process · Reading comprehension · Structural equation modeling · Reading and Literacy Development · Second Language Acquisition and Learning · Text Readability and Simplification