Abstract

Research has established that letter knowledge, phonological processing and rapid naming are the main predictors of early readers. Their role has been studied in view of the depth characteristics of different orthographic systems. However, the influence of environmental variables such as SES must also be considered when explaining its development. In a sample of 101 first grade children, stratified by SES (69 children were from a low SES), a longitudinal study was carried out to evaluate the predictive role of letter knowledge, phonological processing and rapid naming in word reading at the end of the academic year. The results suggest that SES determines which variables best predict word reading. Therefore, initial reading predictors are not fully conditioned by the characteristics of the orthographic system since environmental variables must also be considered.