2018 Annual Conference of China English Language Education Association (CELEA2018)

185 / 2018-06-30 23:51:05

Effects of Decoding and Listening Comprehension on Reading Comprehension of Middle School Students

decoding; listening comprehension; reading comprehension

Plenary track > 中国特色英语教学研究

The aim of this study is to explore the effects of decoding and listening comprehension on reading comprehension among middle school students within the theoretical framework of the Simple View of Reading.
Three questions were asked: 1) How do different kinds of decoding skills and listening comprehension correlate with reading comprehension? 2) What differences exist between high-level and low-level readers in the achievement of decoding and listening comprehension? 3) What contributions do decoding skills and listening comprehension make to reading comprehension? Two intact classes of grade 2 students in a junior middle school took part in this study. The instruments included decoding ability test, listening comprehension test and reading comprehension test.
The results of correlation analysis indicated that there were significant correlations between decoding and reading comprehension and between listening comprehension and reading comprehension. Independent samples t-test revealed that there existed significant difference between high-level and low-level readers in both decoding skills and listening comprehension. Hierarchical multiple regression analysis showed that decoding and listening comprehension could predict reading comprehension independently.
This study verifies the Simple View of Reading in part and enriches the research in the context of EFL. The important roles of decoding and listening comprehension in reading comprehension revealed in this study could also provide implications for English teaching and learning.