Grimm Kevin J
Department of Psychology, University of California, Davis, CA 95616, USA.
Dev Neuropsychol. 2008;33(3):410-26. doi: 10.1080/87565640801982486.
The association between early reading skills and changes in mathematics was examined in a large, low-income sample to determine whether students who have a greater level of reading skills in early elementary school exhibit more rapid gains in tests of mathematics. The longitudinal associations between third grade reading comprehension and changes in three components of mathematics achievement (Problem Solving and Data Interpretation, Mathematical Concepts and Estimation, Mathematical Computation) from third through eighth grade were examined. Latent growth models were fit to the repeated assessments of each mathematics component and the students' third grade reading and global mathematics scores were included as predictors of the intercept and slope. Gender, poverty status, and ethnicity were included in the models as control variables. The results showed males and African-American students tended to have shallower rates of change than females and non-African-American/non-Hispanic students. In terms of the effect of reading on changes in mathematics, third grade reading comprehension was found to be a positive significant predictor of change for each component of mathematics, suggesting students with a greater level of reading achievement in early elementary school change more rapidly in mathematics skills controlling for prior mathematics skills and student characteristics. The largest effects were shown for the Problem Solving and Data Interpretation test, a test focused on the applications of mathematics knowledge, and the Mathematical Concepts and Estimation test. Negligible effects were found for changes in Mathematical Computation. Thus, early reading comprehension was shown to be related to a conceptual understanding of mathematics and the application of mathematics knowledge. These findings lend support for the notion that early reading skills are important for success in mathematics.
在一个低收入大样本中，研究了早期阅读技能与数学成绩变化之间的关联，以确定在小学低年级阅读技能水平较高的学生在数学测试中是否有更快的成绩提升。研究了三年级阅读理解与三至八年级数学成绩的三个组成部分（问题解决与数据解读、数学概念与估算、数学计算）变化之间的纵向关联。对每个数学组成部分的重复评估拟合了潜在增长模型，并将学生的三年级阅读成绩和整体数学成绩作为截距和斜率的预测指标。模型中纳入了性别、贫困状况和种族作为控制变量。结果显示，与女性和非非裔美国人/非西班牙裔学生相比，男性和非裔美国学生的成绩变化率往往较平缓。就阅读对数学成绩变化的影响而言，三年级阅读理解被发现是数学各组成部分成绩变化的一个正向显著预测指标，这表明在小学低年级阅读成绩较高的学生，在控制了先前数学技能和学生特征的情况下，数学技能变化更快。在问题解决与数据解读测试（一项侧重于数学知识应用的测试）和数学概念与估算测试中显示出的影响最大。而在数学计算的变化方面，发现影响可忽略不计。因此，早期阅读理解与对数学的概念理解和数学知识的应用有关。这些发现支持了早期阅读技能对数学学习成功很重要这一观点。
