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Relationship of word- and sentence-level working memory to reading and writing in second, fourth, and sixth grade
Virginia W Berninger1, Robert D Abbott, H Lee Swanson
1322 Miller, Box 353600, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195-3600, USA. vwb@u.washington.edu
Purpose:
The purpose of this study was to evaluate the contribution of working memory at the word and sentence levels of language to reading and writing outcomes.
Method:
Measures of working memory at the word and sentence levels, reading and writing, were administered to 2nd (N = 122), 4th (N = 222), and 6th (N = 105) graders. Structural equation modeling was used to evaluate whether the 2 predictor working memory factors contributed unique variance beyond their shared covariance to each of 5 outcome factors: handwriting, spelling, composing, word reading, and reading comprehension.
Results:
At each grade level, except for handwriting and composing in 6th grade, the word-level working memory factor contributed unique variance to each reading and writing outcome. The text-level working memory factor contributed unique variance to reading comprehension in 4th and 6th grade.
Discussion:
The clinical significance of these findings for assessment and intervention is discussed.
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