Reading Comprehension and Cognitive Correlates in Multilingual Children and Adolescents

Reading comprehension is a complex ability relying on multiple cognitive and language processes. For multilingual children, these processes may be influenced by their daily language experiences. This study examined the relationship between multilingual experience, working memory and attention ability, and component skills of reading in children and adolescents with exposure to English and other language(s) at home and school. One hundred and thirty-three multilingual children (n= 68, ages 6-10 years) and adolescents (n= 65, ages 12-15) completed an online study assessing decoding, language comprehension, reading comprehension, and working memory ability. Parents completed questionnaires that examined language experiences across the social contexts of home, community, and school in addition to questions pertaining to behavioural attention of their child. Our results demonstrated that reading comprehension was predicted by decoding and language comprehension, supporting the simple view of reading (SVR; Hoover & Gough, 1990). The model was more robust in children, explaining 84% of the variance in reading comprehension compared to 45% in adolescents.Furthermore, working memory ability uniquely predicted reading comprehension in children only. Finally, the relationship between decoding and reading comprehension was moderated by home language experience in adolescents, but not in children. Our findings highlight the importance of considering developmental stages when assessing the relationship between language and cognitive abilities in multilingual and multiliterate children and adolescents. Theoretical and practical implications of how domain-general cognitive abilities contribute to components of reading within the context of SVR are discussed.