Un-pack-ing meaning as children learn to read complex words

Over 80% of English words comprise multiple morphemes (e.g., un-pack-ing), but how children learn to read such complex words is not well understood. This project draws on a range of innovative experimental approaches to study the development of morphological reading skill from kindergarten through to high school, providing insights into the full spectrum of abilities required to move from novice to expert reader. Expected outcomes are a richer understanding of the predictors, developmental time-course, and mechanisms involved in the acquisition of morphological processes in reading. This has the potential to inform the effectiveness of explicit morphological teaching and intervention, to the benefit of Australia’s children.