Reading
Do children with reading comprehension difficulties struggle academically?
Open access · cc by · source: Europe PMC
Children with poor reading comprehension but good decoding skills show lower educational attainment in primary school and are less likely than their peers to meet key academic benchmarks by the end of compulsory education.
Key findings
At 11 years of age, poor comprehenders scored significantly lower than controls on national reading and writing tests. At 16 years of age, poor comprehenders showed a trend toward lower performance, and only 55% achieved standard level passing grades, which was significantly below the national average. Vocabulary gaps remained stable over time rather than widening.
Methodology
The researchers conducted a longitudinal study tracking children over eight years, starting at age 9 and following them to 16 years of age. They compared 15 poor comprehenders with 15 controls who had similar nonverbal reasoning and decoding skills. Reading and vocabulary were tested at 11 years of age, and the researchers obtained educational test results at 11 years of age and GCSE exam scores, which were available for 21/30 participants.
Limitations
Because final results were only available for 21/30 participants, the study had limited statistical power to confirm differences at 16 years of age. The researchers did not measure actual reading comprehension or cognitive skills at 16 years of age, leaving the final reading status of the participants unknown. It is also unknown whether participants received exam accommodations during their final assessments.
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