Vocabulary knowledge and reading comprehension account for SES-differences in how school-aged children infer word meanings from sentences.

Abstract

Differences in language ability related to socioeconomic status (SES) are evident within the first years of life and have been shown to have detrimental effects on later language outcomes (Pace et al., 2019; Cunningham & Stanovich, 1997). While these SES-related achievement and language gaps are known to widen throughout the course of the school years (Bradley & Corwyn, 2002; Chall, Jacobs & Baldwin, 2009), the mechanisms contributing to these growing gaps remain relatively understudied. Additionally, most SES-related research has focused on static measures of vocabulary and reading ability; however, these measures are known to differentially contribute to word learning ability on the basis of SES and, therefore, subsequent language growth during the school years (Maguire et al., 2018). The current study clarifies the role that age, socioeconomic status (SES), vocabulary knowledge, and reading ability have on word learning ability during the school years in a sample of 124 children ages 8-15 years old. To clarify whether vocabulary and reading ability might independently moderate known SES-related gaps in word learning at different points in development, multiple regression analyses were conducted. Vocabulary emerged as a critical predictor of word learning ability for all children, while having stronger reading abilities early on appears to serve as a protective factor for word learning abilities in school-aged children from lower SES homes. These findings point to different paths by which children’s word learning abilities in school may be impacted by differences in the home environment.