Are word-reading processes the same or different in adult literacy students and third–fifth graders matched for reading level?

TLDR

Inadequate integration of phonological and orthographic skills may underlie adults’ phonological deficits and reading acquisition difficulties. The study investigated whether word‑reading processes are similar in adult literacy students and matched elementary school students. Adults performed poorly on phonologically complex tasks but showed sight‑word strengths and spelling weaknesses, and regression analyses indicated that the same orthographic and phonological processes underlie word reading in both adults and children, though correlations with spelling were weaker in adults.

Abstract

This study examined whether word-reading processes operate similarly in adult literacy (AL) students and elementary school students matched for reading level. Comparison of mean performances revealed that adults were severely deficient on phonologically complex tasks (segmentation, deletion, and nonword reading). In contrast, on orthographically complex tasks, adults revealed both strengths (sight-word reading) and weaknesses (spelling). Regression analyses revealed that individual differences in word and nonword reading abilities were explained by the same orthographic and phonological processes in AL students and children, despite differences in their levels of performance. Correlations between word reading and spelling measures were weaker among AL students than among children. Inadequate integration of these skills may explain adults' phonological deficits as well as their reading acquisition difficulties.