Perspectives on oral reading fluency, vocabulary and reading comprehension in bilingual learners from Ghana, South Africa and Zimbabwe
Reading & Writing
| Field | Value | |
| Title | Perspectives on oral reading fluency, vocabulary and reading comprehension in bilingual learners from Ghana, South Africa and Zimbabwe | |
| Creator | Stoffelsma, Lieke Wilsenach, Carien Mutema, Fungai | |
| Description | Background: While oral reading fluency (ORF) is linked to reading comprehension (RC) in African languages, the role of vocabulary remains underexplored.Objectives: This study investigated the relative contributions of ORF and vocabulary to RC in the first and second languages of three bilingual groups: Akan-English in Ghana, isiZulu-English in South Africa, and Shona-English in Zimbabwe and examined the ORF rate needed for 80% comprehension in each language.Method: A quantitative correlational design was used. Learners in Ghana (n = 158), South Africa (n =104), and Zimbabwe (n = 122) were assessed through convenience sampling. Constructs measured included: ORF, RC and receptive vocabulary tests.Results: Oral reading fluency was a strong predictor of RC in first and second languages. Learners needed to read between 89 and 109 words correct per minute (WCPM) in English to achieve 80% comprehension. For African languages ORF thresholds ranged from 47 WCPM (isiZulu) to 55 WCPM (Akan).Conclusion: Oral reading fluency emerged as a critical prerequisite for RC across bilingual populations. Without adequate ORF skills, vocabulary knowledge cannot support comprehension.Contribution: This study provides novel data on reading fluency and comprehension in under-researched African languages, particularly Akan and Shona. It proposes preliminary ORF benchmarks for Ghana and Zimbabwe and validates existing benchmarks for South Africa. | |
| Publisher | AOSIS | |
| Date | 2026-01-23 | |
| Identifier | 10.4102/rw.v17i1.583 | |
| Source | Reading & Writing; Vol 17, No 1 (2026); 14 pages 2308-1422 2079-8245 | |
| Language | eng | |
| Relation |
The following web links (URLs) may trigger a file download or direct you to an alternative webpage to gain access to a publication file format of the published article:
https://rw.org.za/index.php/rw/article/view/583/1561
https://rw.org.za/index.php/rw/article/view/583/1562
https://rw.org.za/index.php/rw/article/view/583/1563
https://rw.org.za/index.php/rw/article/view/583/1564
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