Pathways to reading comprehension in Amharic vary by reading profile

Abstract This study investigates the applicability of the Simple View of Reading (SVR) framework for modeling the factors influencing reading success among Grade 2 children learning to read in Amharic (in an abugida script) in remote regions of Ethiopia. We used path and latent profile analyses to examine structural relationships between text decoding and language knowledge factors across distinct reading profiles. Comparing lower-performing profiles dominated by L2 speakers and higher-performing profiles predominantly comprised of L1 speakers, we found significant divergence in the pathways to reading comprehension from both print knowledge and language knowledge domains. For the text decoding component, a mediated path from familiar words to connected text to reading comprehension emerged as a crucial predictor for higher-performing profiles. For the language knowledge component, a direct path from listening comprehension to reading comprehension played a key role in the higher-performing profiles. Lower-performing profiles demonstrated a strong association between decoding and single word reading, suggesting limited capacity for alternative word identification methods, such as sight word recognition. Additionally, the connection between connected text and reading comprehension was weaker in these profiles, suggesting reduced comprehension due to limited word recognition and utilization of this information during reading. Overall, these findings provide insights into the reading development of hard-to-reach children learning Amharic as L1 and L2 in remote pastoral regions of Ethiopia and have pedagogical implications, suggesting a need for tailored interventions for multilingual learners and particularly for intensive spoken language exposure for L2 speakers alongside reading instruction.