Original scientific paper
The latent structure of reading comprehension problems in pupils living in poverty
Milena Košak Babuder
orcid.org/0000-0002-7912-3040
; Faculty of Education, University of Ljubljana
Marija Kavkler
; Faculty of Education, University of Ljubljana
Abstract
The results of Slovene and international studies reveal a connection between literacy and education levels, employment opportunities and the subsequent socio-economic status of individuals and families. Home environment and living habits are also associated with literacy (reading culture) and, in particular, parental levels of education directly affect the development of child literacy. Reading efficiency relating to reading comprehension and reading to learn is an important element of reading literacy performance. The findings of several authors indicate empirical evidence of the existence of deficits and poor reading comprehension in pupils living in poverty and stress the importance of offsetting deficits and developing reading comprehension. The results of the study, in which we investigated and identified the latent structure of the problems in the area of reading comprehension, show that problems in reading comprehension indicate other skills and processes such those necessary for good reading comprehension. The results of factor analysis showed differences in the latent structure of problems in reading comprehension and the latent structure of good reading comprehension. These require differing treatment of pupils who have problems with reading comprehension, with a greater emphasis on the development of phonological awareness, vocabulary development, language skills and automatisation of reading as a prerequisite for achieving good reading comprehension. As parents of pupils who have problems with reading comprehension cannot be sufficiently effective in encouraging and supporting the development of cognitive factors relevant to reading, it is even more important that professional workers in schools provide appropriate treatment for pupils with deficits in this area.
Keywords
poverty; literacy; reading comprehension; latent structure of reading comprehension problems
Hrčak ID:
124765
URI
Publication date:
8.7.2014.
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