Application of latent-variable modelling to the functional classification of reading and writing in high –school students

Abstract

Results from reading and writing tasks performed by 122 Mexican children were converted into a covariance matriz. From this matrix, a multifuntion-multimorphology confirmatory factor analysis was developed. In this analysis, five constructs referring tho the funtional levels of the taks (contextual, suplementary, selector, referential subtitutive, non-referential substitutive), and two morphological costructs (reading and writing )were specified. The analysis showed convergent validity for all functional and morphological factors, as well as discriminant validity for functional costructs. The morphological factors could bot be discriminated from each other, which seems to imply that reading and writing are hardly differentiable tasks.