An investigation into the relation between word recognition skills, reading comprehension and spelling skills in the first two years of primary school

During the past five years a comprehensive research project called ‘The prevention of reading difficulties’ has been designed and carried out in the Netherlands. This project included a longitudinal study to investigate the development of various sub‐skills in word recognition, reading comprehension and spelling over a period of three years. Two samples, including 12 schools each, were drawn at random. The data have been analysed by means of the general LISREL‐model. The results of the two groups largely agree with each other. With respect to the reading prerequisites two factors are found, a general factor and an auditory factor. The influence of the general factor appears clearly stronger than the other one. After 3 to 4 months of formal reading instruction, decoding speed and spelling turn out to be distinguishable factors. The influence of spelling on decoding skills supports the view that at this initial stage accuracy in the analysis and blending of words is a prerequisite to learning to decode quickly. It may be concluded that after eight months of reading instruction decoding skills, reading comprehension and spelling are clearly distinguishable factors. Decoding skills influence reading comprehension. However, the path coefficients are not so high as to be able to attribute differences in reading comprehension almost completely to differences in decoding skills. The distinctive character of the three factors of decoding, comprehension and spelling is revealed much more clearly than in cross‐sectional research. These results correspond with the assumption that cross‐sectionally found causal effects often decrease or disappear all together in favour of ‘memory effects’ in longitudinal research.