Mechanisms in Which Morphological Awareness Contributed to Chinese and English Reading Comprehension

• In Event: Marriott Roundtable Session 20
  In Roundtable Session: Considerations in Literacy Comprehension

Abstract

This study examined the ways in which morphological awareness (MA) contributed to Chinese and English reading comprehension in the same sample of 156 Grade 3 and Grade 4 Chinese ESL children. We explored two potential mediators through which MA may contribute indirectly to reading comprehension, namely word reading and vocabulary. In the English model, path analyses showed that MA made significant effects on reading comprehension mediated by word reading as well as vocabulary and word reading in sequence. Similar indirect path was also observed in the Chinese model. Across two models, only English MA directly contributed to reading comprehension above and beyond mediators and control variables. The results underscored the importance of MA for reading comprehension across two languages.

Authors

• Siu Sze Yeung, The Education University of Hong Kong

• Shen Qiao, The University of Hong Kong

• Yingyi Liu, Medical University