HyeJin Hwang: Department of Educational Psychology, College of Education and Human Development, University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA.
Seohyeon Choi: Department of Educational Psychology, College of Education and Human Development, University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA.
Manjary Guha: Department of Educational Psychology, College of Education and Human Development, University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA.
Kristen McMaster: Department of Educational Psychology, College of Education and Human Development, University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA.
Rina Harsch: Department of Educational Psychology, College of Education and Human Development, University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA.
Panayiota Kendeou: Department of Educational Psychology, College of Education and Human Development, University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA. Electronic address: kend0040@umn.edu.
In the current study, we investigated the role of executive functions in explaining how word recognition and language comprehension jointly predict reading comprehension in multilingual and monolingual students (Grades 1 and 2). Specifically, mediation and moderation models were tested and compared to offer a more nuanced understanding of the role of executive functions in reading comprehension. The results provided support for the mediation model in which executive functions indirectly contribute to reading comprehension via word recognition and language comprehension in both language groups. In addition, executive functions directly predicted reading comprehension (i.e., partial mediation). These findings suggest that executive functions serve as general cognitive processes that support word recognition, language comprehension, and reading comprehension (i.e., direct contribution) as well as facilitate connecting word recognition and language comprehension in support for reading comprehension (i.e., indirect contribution). These findings are consistent with prominent models of reading comprehension.
