The Role of Reading Anxiety among Struggling Readers in Fourth and Fifth Grade

Abstract

Cognitive predictors of reading are well known, but less is understood about the roles of “noncognitive” factors, including emotional variables such as anxiety. While math anxiety has been a focus of study, its analogue in the reading literature is understudied. We assessed struggling fourth and fifth graders (n = 272) on reading anxiety in the context of general anxiety, cognitive predictors (working memory, verbal knowledge), and demographics. Regressions tested for unique contributions to three reading outcomes: word reading accuracy, oral reading fluency, and reading comprehension. Reading anxiety and general anxiety correlated moderately (r = .63) but were differentially related to reading. Reading anxiety predicted comprehension when all other predictors were considered, and predicted oral reading fluency until word reading accuracy was added to the model. Results offer a more nuanced understanding of the nature of reading anxiety, and its implications for struggling readers.

Additional information

Funding

This research was supported by Award P50 HD052117, Texas Center for Learning Disabilities, and Award F31 HD098797 from the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health & Human Development to the University of Houston. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health & Human Development or the National Institutes of Health.