Resumen de Word and person effects on decoding accuracy: A new look at an old question

Jennifer K. Gilbert, Donald L. Compton, Devin M. Kearns

• The purpose of this study was to extend the literature on decoding by bringing together two lines of research, namely person and word factors that affect decoding, using a crossed random-effects model. The sample was composed of 196 English-speaking Grade 1 students. A researcher-developed pseudoword list was used as the primary outcome measure. Because grapheme--phoneme correspondence (GPC) knowledge was treated as person and word specific, it was concluded that it is neither necessary nor sufficient for a student to know all GPCs in a word before accurately decoding the word. Controlling for word-specific GPC knowledge, students with lower phonemic awareness and slower rapid naming skill have lower predicted probabilities of correct decoding than do counterparts with superior skills. By assessing a Person × Word interaction, it was found that students with lower phonemic awareness have more difficulty applying knowledge of complex vowel graphemes compared with complex consonant graphemes when decoding unfamiliar words. Implications of the methodology and results are discussed in light of future research