The fluent reading relationship between textual characteristics and word recognition, comprehension, and prosodic features

This study analyzes the relationships between the different variables involved in reading fluency in a group of second, third, and fourth grade elementary school children. Reading models, word recognition models, comprehension theories, and speech production theories are used as references. Likewise, in the case of fluency, the different perspectives that define the scope of this construct have been considered.

The thesis is developed in three studies. In two of them, theoretical models are proposed on the relationships between the variables involved in fluency, analyzed using SEM (structural equation modeling). In the first model, the relationships between word recognition, phonological processing skills, vocabulary, and comprehension are analyzed, taking into account the role of memory in the reading process. The second model focuses on the role of prosody as an indicator of reading comprehension, also considering the role of vocabulary, decoding, and memory. The third study in this thesis addresses the weight of textual factors in reading comprehension and explores the difficulties that children may encounter when comprehending different types of texts.

The results show that the development of reading fluency is a more complex process (construct) than some positions suggest, in which only speed and accuracy in reading isolated words are used as indicators. In addition to helping to specify the cognitive mechanisms underlying the development of reading fluency aloud, the results have educational implications as they allow us to consider which factors favor the reading learning process.