Oral Language and Writing Skills in the First Years of Formal Education

ABSTRACT Purpose Research has highlighted the role of children’s oral language skills in the production of written text. Most studies have been cross-sectional, with upper elementary or kindergarten samples. The present study investigated (a) the components of written text production in the first years of school entry; and (b) whether early oral language skills were related to writing quality using a longitudinal design and considering the concurrent role of vocabulary, oral narrative, reading comprehension and transcription skills. Method Monolingual English-speaking children (N = 157; 59% female) were first assessed in their first two years of compulsory education in England (Mage months = 63.66, SD = 7.14) on a measure of core oral language (receptive and expressive vocabulary and grammar). A school year later, measures of oral narrative skills, reading comprehension, spelling, handwriting fluency and writing were collected. Measures of writing productivity, accuracy, and quality were obtained. Results Three dimensions were identified in the writing samples: productivity, spelling, and quality. Spelling ability, vocabulary, and core oral language predicted productivity, while only spelling ability and handwriting fluency predicted spelling in written compositions. GLM mediation analysis revealed that a longitudinal measure of core oral language directly (and indirectly through reading comprehension) related to later writing quality. Conclusion The findings demonstrate that early written compositions can be evaluated for productivity, spelling and quality and confirm the importance of early oral language skills in predicting later writing productivity and quality. Uniquely, reading comprehension was found to have a direct and mediating effect on writing quality.