This study presents the particular word features that predicted the difficulty of words read in texts by second graders. Especially influential were vowel patterns (such as r-controlled vowels and diphthongs), word frequency, and age of acquisition.
Download full text of article (PDF): Word-Features Influencing Second Graders’ Word Recognition in Connected Texts: Secondary Analysis of Oral Reading Fluency Data Using Explanatory Item-Response Models
Citation:
Toyama, Y., Hiebert, E. H., Irey, R., & Qing, C. (2026). Word‐Features Influencing Second Graders’ Word Recognition in Connected Texts: Secondary Analysis of Oral Reading Fluency Data Using Explanatory Item‐Response Models. Journal of Educational Measurement, 63(2), e70040.