Document Type
Article
Publication Date
Spring 2025
Abstract
Early primary students can struggle with pre-reading skills, and this struggle leads to a lack of reading development as they enter primary grades. Research reveals that factors such as working memory and disorders such as dyslexia influence children's reading development, yet strategies such as orthographic mapping and embodied learning can improve their pre-reading skills. Research has also shown that pre-reading skills are correlated with later reading abilities. This study aims to describe the characteristics of pre-reading skills and explain the impact of pre-reading skills on later reading abilities. Based on a literature review on the impact of pre-reading skills, assessment data was collected at a small public school in South Dakota. The researcher analyzed report card information and NWEA MAP Growth assessment data from the class of 2031, reviewing the students' early foundational skills scores and their latest sixth-grade reading scores. The results indicated an impact of pre-reading skills on later reading abilities among students with advanced scores and lower scores. However, the results also showed that students with average scores tended to have more variation in their reading growth or decline. On this basis, it is recommended that researched strategies such as orthographic mapping and embodied learning be used to improve students’ pre-reading skills. Further research could involve extending the sample size and considering more precise assessment data of pre-reading skills.