Analysis of morphological and functional features of reading and writing in elementary school children

Abstract

By the application of multitrait-multimethod strategy (Campbell y Fiske 1959; Widaman, 1985) two morphologic and functional characteristics models of writing and reading have been tested. One hundred and seventy nine children registered in primary school (first, second and third grade) answered 18 tasks classified on a morphologic and on a functional criterion. The models we tested show goodness of fit, but the model that specifies the existence of five functional factors doesn’t show good divergent validity, while the model that specifies three functional factors shows convergent validity as well as divergent validity. The two models indicate the contribution of the two dimensions specified in the performance of the children. Additionally, children’s mean responses are identified as a complex index of answers. Children in third grade have higher performance than children in first grade, these differences are significant. The results are discussed in terms of utility, the contribution of the analytical strategy used for the validation of tasks, and the pertinence of the use of the functional taxonomy of behavior (Ribes y López, 1985), in the description of the psychological character of reading and writing.