Studies show a strong link between reading and writing skills: students who struggle with reading often face challenges in writing while reading instruction improves writing abilities and vice versa. In this study, researchers at the University of California at Irvine explored the reasons behind this connection. By examining data from English-speaking students in the US from kindergarten to grade 2, they focused on the relationship between reading comprehension and writing composition, and the influence of language and literacy skills.
Not surprisingly, the researchers found a strong link between reading comprehension and writing skills in early readers. However despite this strong connection, further analysis showed that these skills are different. The researchers suggest this finding supports the Interactive Dynamic Literacy model, which states that reading and writing skills are related, but separate and the source of their relations are their shared reliance on essentially the same skills and knowledge. Shared skills and knowledge improve reading comprehension and writing, skills such as lexical literacy and oral discourse help connect other important skills to these areas.
The researchers suggest the strong link may result from both development and measurement factors. In early literacy, the connection between reading and writing is clearer. Their findings show a higher correlation than a study of Dutch high schoolers, suggesting that the reading-writing relationship is stronger in younger learners. This study highlights the critical role of early language and cognitive skills in kindergarten as indirect predictors of later literacy outcomes.
StepUp Note
The most significant finding in this research is the critical value of early foundational kindergarten skills as the essential building blocks for grade 2 reading comprehension and written language. These kindergarten skills include learning behaviors such as focused attention and sustained effort, along with learning skills such as decoding and handwriting fluency. StepUp gives children daily practice with indirect learning skills such as focused attention, on-time responses, sustained effort, and turn-taking. They also give daily practice for the foundational academic skills of reading decoding, math fact retrieval and handwriting skills.
Note by Nancy W. Rowe, MS, CCC/A