English (L2) decoding shows a strong linear relationship with English reading comprehension, with the correlation decreasing as children get older¶
Claim · All claims
Evidence · 1 study · reviewr2·q3·i3large
Currency · newest study 2024 · checked against its sources 2026-10-20 (automated, 1 of 1 entry) · not reviewed by a person
Subclaims¶
Reading the evidence codes
q is the design tier, i the impact, n the sample, and the kind with its r
the rigour judged within that kind: what each code means.
This claim: no standardized effect is recorded in observations/ for it yet, so no benchmark reading is possible.
q3 i3 A meta-analysis found a strong linear relationship between L2 decoding and L2 reading comprehension (r = 0.54, p < 0.001), and age had a significant impact in that the magnitude decreased as children got older. → Kittle 2024
Evidence¶
Kittle 2024¶
Kittle, J. M., Amendum, S. J., & Budde, C. M. (2024). What Does Research Say About the Science of Reading for K-5 Multilingual Learners? A Systematic Review of Systematic Reviews. Educational Psychology Review. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10648-024-09942-6
q3 · i3 · review · r2
Meta-analysis using correlations from six studies, one of which included Norwegian as the L2. The review reports r = 0.54, p < 0.001, and notes only one of the six studies used an L2 other than English, so results strongly suggest English decoding is an essential SOR component for MLs.
"Again, they found a strong linear relationship between L2 decoding and L2 reading comprehension (r = 0.54, p < 0.001) and that age had a significant impact on the magnitude of the correlation in that it decreased as children got older."
Discussion¶
Learner Variables¶
- Age and Developmental Stage — moderator: an instructional effect differs with it
- Decoding — predictor: learners who differ on it differ in outcomes
- Reading and Language — predictor: learners who differ on it differ in outcomes
Related Claims¶
- L1 decoding is positively related to English reading comprehension for Spanish- and Chinese-speaking MLs, with the correlation decreasing as children get older — related
- L2 oral language shows a moderate to strong positive relationship with L2 reading comprehension for multilingual learners, and the correlation increases with age — related
- Six component reading skills show strong average relationships with reading comprehension in struggling adult readers (rs ≥ .50) — related
- Real word decoding relates more strongly to adult reading comprehension (r = .52) than pseudoword decoding (r = .42), though not significantly — related
- L2 oral language proficiency predicts reading comprehension more strongly than decoding skills — reports the opposite
- Comprehension strategy use distinguished better ML readers more accurately than English reading fluency did — related
- Strategic use of MLs' L1 during decoding instruction was effective: shared letter-sound correspondences did not have to be retaught, and Spanish CVC segmentation instruction increased English decoding — related
- Decoding fluency did not uniquely predict reading comprehension in any grade 4–10, though it correlated moderately with comprehension (.47–.74) — reports the opposite
Page metadata
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
type |
claim |
id |
l2-decoding-strong-relationship-english-comprehension |
title |
English (L2) decoding shows a strong linear relationship with English reading comprehension, with the correlation decreasing as children get older |
description |
English (L2) decoding shows a strong linear relationship with English reading comprehension, with the correlation decreasing as children get older |
status |
review |
evidence_strength |
moderate |
newest_evidence |
2024 |
source_checked |
2026-10-20 |
generated |
by process:wiki-ingest on 2026-10-20 |
trust |
unverified — no one has confirmed this page's content |
sources |
1 — kittle-2024 |
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