Understanding the relation between reading and anxiety among upper elementary students with reading difficulties
Sarah Fishstrom1, Philip Capin2, Anna-Mari Fall2
1College of Education, University of Hawai'i at Manoa, 1776 University Avenue, Wist 121, Honolulu, HI, 96822, USA. sarahcf@hawaii.edu.
Annals of Dyslexia
|January 16, 2024
Summary
Reading anxiety significantly impacts reading skills in students with reading difficulties. Higher anxiety correlates with poorer fluency and comprehension, especially in those with moderate to severe challenges.
Area of Science:
- Educational Psychology
- Developmental Psychology
Background:
- Reading difficulties affect a significant number of students.
- Anxiety, including reading anxiety, is a potential barrier to academic success.
- Understanding the relationship between different types of anxiety and reading performance is crucial.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the relationships between reading anxiety, general anxiety, and test anxiety in students with reading difficulties.
- To determine if specific dimensions of anxiety differentially relate to various reading outcomes.
- To explore how the severity of reading difficulties moderates the association between anxiety and reading performance.
Main Methods:
- A sample of 536 students with reading difficulties was assessed.
- Correlational analyses were used to examine the relationships between anxiety measures.
- Regression analyses were conducted to link anxiety dimensions to reading outcomes (word reading accuracy/fluency, text reading fluency, comprehension).
Main Results:
- Reading anxiety, general anxiety, and test anxiety were significantly intercorrelated.
- Elevated reading anxiety was associated with lower word reading fluency, text reading fluency, and reading comprehension.
- These anxiety-reading performance links were evident in students with moderate to high reading abilities but not in those with the most severe difficulties.
Conclusions:
- The interplay between anxiety and reading performance is complex and contingent on the severity of reading challenges.
- Interventions addressing reading anxiety may be beneficial for students with reading difficulties, particularly those not severely impaired.
- Findings offer insights for supporting students with dyslexia and other reading impairments.
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