Psychological Development and Education ›› 2026, Vol. 42 ›› Issue (4): 544-552.doi: 10.16187/j.cnki.issn1001-4918.2026.04.09

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The Developmental Trajectory of Reading Fluency in First Grade and Its Predictive Effects on Reading Comprehension in Third Grade among Chinese First-grade Students

GAN Yan1,2, BAI Jirong2, LUO Mingyue2, FAN Yimin2, LIU Miaomiao2,3, YAN Mengge2,4, SU Yongqiang2,5, LI Hong2   

  1. 1. College of Psychology, Sichuan Normal University, Chengdu 610066;
    2. Beijing Key Laboratory of Applied Experimental Psychology, National Demonstration Center for Experimental Psychology Education (Beijing Normal University), Institute of Children's Reading and Learning, Faculty of Psychology, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875;
    3. Faculty of Education, Henan Normal University, Xinxiang 453007;
    4. National Institute of Education, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore 637616;
    5. Department of Psychology, Shaoxing University, Shaoxing 312000
  • Published:2026-07-04

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Abstract: This three-year longitudinal study tracked 154 Chinese first-grade children to examine the developmental trajectories of multi-dimensional reading fluency during the initial year of formal schooling and their unique predictive effects on third-grade reading comprehension. Results of latent growth modeling revealed: (1) Character reading fluency (focusing on decoding speed) exhibited a non-linear pattern characterized by rapid initial growth followed by deceleration, whereas passage reading fluency (focusing on connected text) demonstrated an accelerating progression over time. In contrast, one-minute character reading fluency (emphasizing both decoding speed and accuracy) progressed linearly; (2) After controlling for reading-related cognitive skills, character recognition ability, and oral vocabulary, only the initial level and growth rate of one-minute character reading fluency uniquely predicted third-grade reading comprehension. These findings underscore the critical role of decoding accuracy in early Chinese reading development, indicating that faster reading rates do not necessarily portend superior future outcomes. This carries pedagogical implications for first-grade literacy instruction.

Key words: first grade, reading fluency, early developmental trajectories, reading comprehension

CLC Number: 

  • G442
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