Reading fluency in children: which are the underlying abilities?

Abstract

Reading fluency is an important component of reading learning process and reading comprehension. Fluency in reading is a construct that involves reading accuracy, expressive reading, speed and reading comprehension. In Spanish there are few tools to assess it so, the aim of this work is to stablish which are the underlying skills of reading fluency in order to obtain information for the future design of a test that evaluates it with texts in Spanish. A group of 172 primary school children from third, fifth and seventh grades with no reading learning disabilities were evaluated. The participants were assessed with five tasks: phonological fluency (FVF), phonological awareness (CF), naming (RAN), word and nonword reading (Lectura de PyNP) and text reading aloud (LVA) from which reading accuracy, speed and comprehension measures were extracted. The results obtained provide information about variables that affect directly (RAN and reading of PyNP) and indirect (CF and FVF) on reading fluency. These data are relevant for the forthcoming design of a battery that allows professionals how to measure this construct.