Examining How Reading, Spelling, and Vocabulary Skills Relate to Sentence Writing Fluency Across Modalities

• In Event: Assessment of Reading, Writing, and Language Skills Across Elementary and Middle Grades

Abstract

This study compared students’ sentence writing fluency across three modalities (handwriting, keyboarding, and speech-to-text recognition) and examined relationships with other literacy skills. Sixty-four children in grades 4-9 completed standardized measures of sentence writing fluency, word reading, spelling, and expressive vocabulary. Hierarchical regression results showed a) age predicted performance across all modalities, whereas gender and race/ethnicity predicted only select modalities; b) spelling and expressive vocabulary predicted performance in select modalities, whereas word reading did not; and c) models explained 44%-57% of the variability in sentence writing fluency across modalities. Findings highlight the unique variance in writing explained by literacy and language skills across modalities, raising important considerations for reading-writing relationships as well as writing assessment and instruction.

Authors

• Heidi Hines, University of California - Irvine

• Youngsun Moon, Stanford University

• Matthew C. Zajic, Teachers College, Columbia University

• Michael Hebert, University of California - Irvine