Kirby, J. R., Georgiou, G. K., Martinussen,
R., & Parrila, R. (2010). Naming speed and reading: From prediction to
instruction. Reading Research Quarterly,
45(3), 341–362.
Naming speed is the ability to name a series
of familiar objects or letters at a fast pace. It is known to be related to
reading ability, although the exact nature of that relationship is debated
among researchers. A review of research shows that naming speed predicts
performance on most reading measures, including single word reading, pseudoword
reading, and reading comprehension. The relation between naming speed and
reading is strongest in timed reading tasks, and in languages that use
consistent spelling conventions.
One way to examine the relationship between
naming speed, reading, and other processes underlying reading is to look to
populations with impairments. Children with dyslexia show poor performance on
naming speed and phonological awareness tasks compared to peers. Wolfe and
Bowers (1999) call this the double-deficit hypothesis (DDH), arguing that
naming speed and phonological awareness are separate constructs and can be
separately impaired. Empirical support for DDH is mixed due to a variety of
factors, such as variation between studies in participant reading ability, and
spelling rules of the languages studied.
Studies looking at naming speed instruction
have found that interventions targeting naming speed directly tended to show
limited or temporary improvements at best. In contrast, broad reading
interventions lead to gains on reading measures and only sometimes on naming
speed. An additional finding in intervention literature is that a child’s
naming speed most strongly predicted how well she would respond to a reading
intervention. Taken together, these findings suggest that although naming speed
is a strong predictor of reading ability, it may be more effective to offer
intervention targeting other reading processes.
Blogger: Laura Pauls, PhD Student
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