Pathways to early science literacy: investigating the different role of language and reading skills in science literacy among early primary school children

ABSTRACT

The initiation of formal science education provides an opportunity to investigate how age-related language and reading skills respond to the challenge of science literacy (SL) performance. SL in early primary schools refers to the understanding and application of scientific core ideas and practices for informed decision-making. Studies revealed that high levels of singular reading or language skills correlate with better SL performance in school settings. However, it is essential to explore how nuanced words and textual reading skills relate to SL performance for early primary learners. One hundred ninety-three Hong Kong second graders were assessed on word reading, reading comprehension, vocabulary, nonverbal reasoning, and SL. The hierarchical regression model shows that word reading and reading comprehension are significant predictors of SL, controlling for nonverbal reasoning and vocabulary. Further, mediation analysis reveals that reading comprehension significantly mediates the effect of word reading on SL at grade 2, suggesting a shared reading-SL cognitive process. A tailored early elementary school literacy instruction is a promising way to enhance SL development among young learners.

KEYWORDS:

• Word reading
• reading comprehension
• science literacy

Acknowledgements

The authors thank the anonymous reviewer for the useful comments and suggestions.

Also, the authors express gratitude to the children who took part in this study.

Data availability

Data and materials used in this study will be provided upon request from the correspondent author.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Ethics statement

This study received approval from the university’s institutional board (Ref.no.2021-2022-0380) and conformed to the Declaration of Helsinki. Participants’ legal guardians provided written consent, and children provided assent.

Additional information

Funding

This research was not supported by any specific grants from public, commercial, or nonprofit sectors.