Minding Morphology: The Effect of Morphological Awareness on Reading for Intermediate English Language Learners

This study explored the sub processes of reading for 157 fifth grade of English language learners(ELLs) by testing whether morphological awareness made a unique contribution to readingcomprehension beyond a strong covariate-phonological decoding. Also the role of word reading andreading vocabulary as mediators of this relationship was explored. Results explained that fourthgrade morphological awareness did not make a significant unique direct effect on fifth gradereading comprehension, controlling for phonological decoding, word reading, and readingvocabulary. Fourth grade morphological awareness did, though, make a singular moderate totalcontribution to fifth grade reading comprehension with reading vocabulary, but not word reading,mediating the link when controlling for phonological decoding. In contrast, phonological decodingmade an on significant total contribution to reading comprehension with neither word reading norreading vocabulary mediating the link when controlling for morphological awareness. Alternativemodels were also explored, showing the importance of including both predictors in an exceedinglymodel of ELL reading comprehension, primarily to incorporate the support of phonologicaldecoding to word reading and therefore the support of morphological awareness.

Keywords:

Morphological awareness , Phonological decoding , Reading achievement