Tracking vocabulary and reading growth in children from lower and higher socioeconomic backgrounds during the transition from primary to secondary education

• Published in: Child development Vol. 94; no. 1; pp. e57 - e66
• Main Authors: Kleij, Sanne W., Burgess, Adrian P., Ricketts, Jessie, Shapiro, Laura R.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Wiley 01.01.2023; Blackwell Publishing Ltd; John Wiley and Sons Inc
• Subjects: Adolescent; Child; Childhood; Children; Comprehension; Curricula; Elementary School Students; Empirical; Empirical Report; Female; Holidays & special occasions; Humans; Linear Models; Reading Comprehension; School Schedules; Schools; Secondary Education; Secondary schools; Social Class; Socioeconomic Status; Student Promotion; Tracking; Vocabulary; Vocabulary Development
• ISSN: 0009-3920; 1467-8624; 1467-8624
• DOI: 10.1111/cdev.13862

We examined the relation between socioeconomic status (SES), vocabulary, and reading in middle childhood, during the transition from primary (elementary) to secondary (high) school. Children (N = 279, 163 girls) completed assessments of everyday and curriculum‐related vocabulary, (non)word reading, and reading comprehension at five timepoints from age 10 to 13. Piecewise linear mixed‐effects models showed significant growth in everyday vocabulary and word reading between every time point. Curriculum vocabulary and reading comprehension showed significant growth during the school year, but not during the summer holidays. There were significant effects of SES on all measures except word reading; yet, SES differences did not widen over time. Our findings motivate targeted reading and vocabulary support for secondary school students from lower SES backgrounds.