The Componential Model of Reading: A Comprehensive Examination of Word Reading in Syrian Refugee Children

Using the componential model of reading (CMR) as a theoretical framework (Aaron et al., 2008), this study provided a broad examination of the English word reading ability in Syrian refugee children. The direct and indirect contributions of cognitive, ecological, and psychological domains to word reading ability were examined. Participants included 133 Syrian refugee children (M age = 9.39) who had recently been resettled in Canada. All participants were native speakers of Arabic and had received between 2 and 30 months of English instruction (M = 18.24, SD = 6.08). Results from structural equation modeling revealed that all three domains contributed significantly to word reading. The cognitive domain impacted word reading directly, while both the ecological and psychological domains contributed to word reading indirectly via mediation of the cognitive domain. These findings validate and extend the CMR as a model for understanding the English literacy development of recently resettled refugee children.M.A