ABSTRACT
According to the "Simple View of Reading" (SVR), reading comprehension is the product of two distinct abilities: decoding, defined as the ability to read words with accuracy, and linguistic comprehension. The present study examines the role of fluency, defined as the ability to read words with accuracy and fluency, in the SVR model. In particular, the study evaluated whether fluency contributes to the development of reading comprehension in early literacy acquisition in Portuguese, above and beyond variations in decoding and linguistic comprehension. The study was longitudinal and included 65 Brazilian children enrolled in private schools in Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais. Decoding and fluency were assessed at the end of the 1st grade of primary school; reading comprehension was assessed one year later, at the end of the 2nd grade. Linguistic comprehension was estimated on the basis of the students' performance on a vocabulary test administered at two different occasions along the study. Results suggest that variations in reading fluency predict early development in reading comprehension in Portuguese independently of the effect of variations in decoding performance and linguistic abilities. The implications of these findings for our understanding of the role played by fluency on the development of skilled reading are discussed.
Keywords:
reading comprehension; accuracy; fluency; vocabulary; Brazilian Portuguese
