Does Writing System Influence the Associations Between Phonological Awareness, Morphological Awareness, and Reading? A Meta-Analysis

Differences in how writing systems represent language raise important questions about the extent to which the role of linguistic skills such as phonological awareness (PA) and morphological awareness (MA) in reading is universal. In this meta-analysis, the authors examined the relationship between P...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of educational psychology 2018-02, Vol.110 (2), p.180-202
Main Authors: Ruan, Yufang, Georgiou, George K, Song, Shuang, Li, Yixun, Shu, Hua
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Accuracy
Alphabets
Chinese
Chinese languages
Contrastive Linguistics
Correlation
Educational Research
Effect Size
English
English language
Fluency
Foreign Languages
Human
Language
Linguistics
Literature Reviews
Logograms
Meta Analysis
Morphological processing
Morphology
Morphology (Languages)
Native Speakers
Orthographic Symbols
Phonetics
Phonological Awareness
Reading
Reading Ability
Reading accuracy
Reading Comprehension
Reading Fluency
Reading Skills
Reliability
Statistical Analysis
Systematic review
Writing
Writing Skills
Writing systems
Written Language
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Summary:Differences in how writing systems represent language raise important questions about the extent to which the role of linguistic skills such as phonological awareness (PA) and morphological awareness (MA) in reading is universal. In this meta-analysis, the authors examined the relationship between PA, MA, and reading (accuracy, fluency, and comprehension) in 2 languages (English and Chinese) representing different writing systems (alphabetic and logographic). A random-effects model analysis of data from 64 studies with native speakers of each language revealed significant correlations between PA, MA, and all reading outcomes in both languages. The correlations remained significant even after controlling for each other's effect on reading. However, PA was a stronger correlate of reading in English than in Chinese. MA was as good a correlate of reading in English as in Chinese (except for comprehension, where it was better). In addition, complex PA tasks in English and production/compounding MA tasks in Chinese produced significantly larger correlations with reading accuracy. Taken together, the findings of this meta-analysis suggest that PA and MA are significant correlates of reading, but their role is influenced by the writing system, the type of reading outcome, and the type of task used to operationalize PA and MA. The implications of these findings are discussed. Educational Impact and Implications Statement The authors examined the role of writing system in the relationship between phonological awareness, morphological awareness, and reading. The results of the meta-analysis revealed significant relationships between these linguistic skills and reading in each language, but the strength of the relationships was influenced by the writing system, the type of reading outcome, and the type of task used to operationalize phonological awareness and morphological awareness. These findings help us better understand the linguistic skills that are most important for reading acquisition in different writing systems.
ISSN:0022-0663
1939-2176
DOI:10.1037/edu0000216