The Building Blocks of Reading Comprehension: Evidence from Decoding and Word List Recall

Objective: This study examined whether decoding and word list recall (WLR), an episodic-buffer-related verbal memory task, predict reading comprehension among Korean-speaking first-grade children. In particular, the study investigated whether ordered and random WLR conditions differentially contribute to reading comprehension beyond decoding ability.Methods: Forty-four Korean-speaking first-grade children participated in this study. Nonverbal intelligence (NVIQ) was assessed using the Korean Kaufman Brief Intelligence Test–II (K-BIT-II). Decoding and reading comprehension were measured using the Korean Language-Based Reading Assessment (KOLRA). Episodicbuffer-related verbal memory was assessed using the WLR task under ordered and random conditions. Partial correlations controlling for NVIQ and multiple linear regression analyses were conducted.Results: Decoding was strongly associated with reading comprehension. Both ordered and random WLR scores were also significantly associated with reading comprehension after controlling for NVIQ. However, decoding was significantly related to the ordered WLR condition but not to the random WLR condition. In the regression model predicting reading comprehension, decoding significantly predicted reading comprehension, and random WLR explained additional unique variance beyond decoding. In contrast, ordered WLR did not uniquely predict reading comprehension.Conclusion: These findings suggest that early reading comprehension is supported by distinct but complementary skills. Decoding contributes to reading comprehension through accurate word reading, whereas random WLR appears to capture episodic-buffer-related verbal memory processes independent of decoding. Because random WLR uniquely predicted reading comprehension beyond decoding, verbal memory processes may support comprehension independently of decoding ability.