Relations between Reading Fluency and Reading Comprehension for L2 English Readers in Grades 3 and 5 in India

Abstract

We report on a study that was conducted in an urban city center, Bangalore, India. This study was conducted to observe the relations between fluency and comprehension for L2 English Learners in this context. The participants included 688 students from Grades 3 and 5, who came from different home language backgrounds and attended schools where the language of instruction was English. We used a structural equation modeling (SEM) technique to compare the relationship between L2 English oral reading fluency and silent reading fluency on comprehension. Our findings suggested that oral reading is more predictive of reading comprehension than silent reading across the two grade levels. Implication for reading assessment and intervention practices within the Indian context will be discussed.