Predicting Reading Fluency Growth from Grade 2 to Age 23 with Parental and Child Factors

Reading fluency establishes the basis for the strong literacy skills needed for academic success. We aim to trace how reading fluency develops from childhood to adulthood and identify factors that influence this development.

In this study, 200 families were followed. All participating children (N = 200, 47% female) were ethnic Finns and spoke Finnish as their native language. The dataset included children's reading fluency assessments (in Grades 2, 3, and 8 and at age 23), their self-reports, and parental questionnaires. For data analysis, growth curve models that included cognitive, motivational, and parental predictors were constructed.

Significant variations in both developmental rates and adult outcomes of reading fluency were found. The developmental rate was predicted by rapid automatized naming (RAN), letter knowledge, the formal home literacy environment (HLE) (measured in kindergarten) and reading motivation (measured in elementary school). Adult outcome (fluency at age 23) was predicted by RAN, letter knowledge, formal HLE, and parental dyslexia. Further, those who had parents with resolving reading difficulties were more likely to follow a resolving trajectory themselves compared with those whose parents had persistent reading difficulties.

Our findings offer novel insights into how reading fluency develops into adulthood and identify key areas for future research to better understand the mechanisms behind reading fluency development.