Decoding and Reading Comprehension: A Meta-Analysis to Identify Which Reader and Assessment Characteristics Influence the Strength of the Relationship in English

• Published in: Review of educational research Vol. 84; no. 1; pp. 74 - 111
• Main Authors: García, J. Ricardo, Cain, Kate
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Los Angeles, CA SAGE Publications 01-03-2014; American Educational Research Association
• Subjects: Age; Correlation; Correlation analysis; Correlations; Decoding; Decoding (Reading); Diagnostic tests; Educational psychology; English; English language; Genre; Individual Characteristics; Language comprehension; Learning disabilities; Listening Comprehension; Measurement Techniques; Meta Analysis; Orthographies; Reading; Reading ability; Reading Comprehension; Reading difficulties; Reading Research; Reading skills; Reading Tests; Systematic review; Words; reading skill; reading development; reading comprehension; word recognition; decoding
• ISSN: 0034-6543; 1935-1046
• DOI: 10.3102/0034654313499616

The twofold purpose of this meta-analysis was to determine the relative importance of decoding skills to reading comprehension in reading development and to identify which reader characteristics and reading assessment characteristics contribute to differences in the decoding and reading comprehension correlation. A meta-analysis of 110 studies found a sizeable average corrected correlation (r̄c = .74). Two reader characteristics (age and listening comprehension level) were significant moderators of the relationship. Several assessment characteristics were significant moderators, particularly for young readers: the way that decoding was measured and, with respect to the reading comprehension assessment, text genre; whether or not help was provided with decoding; and whether or not the texts were read aloud. Age and measure of decoding were the strongest moderators. We discuss the implications of these findings for assessment and the diagnosis of reading difficulties.