Validity of' functional and morphological constructs in reading and writing tasks: a study of elementary school children

Abstract

280 first graders attending elementary schools performed writing and reading tasks (i.e. the performances' morphologies) of different complexities (i.e., the functional levels of those tasks). Complexity levels were pre-established as contextual, supplementary; selector, referential-substitutional, and non referential substitutional functions. In trying to estimate the convergent and divergent validity of functional and morphological constructs, results of tasks were analyzed in a multifunction-multimorphology correlation matrix. This matrix was used as database in a confirmatory factor analysis, which showed convergent construct validity for both the functional factors and the two morphologies. Divergent validity was not satisfactory for morphologies, and it was partially adequate for functional constructs. Functional factors showed a significant covariation with constructs which were contiguous in complexity level, but covariations decreased as functional factors separate from each other in terms of their complexity. The potential use and implication of these findings are discussed.