Analysing the relationship between reading fluency and reading competence in Secondary Education

An adequate level of reading competence is essential to exercise fundamental rights in the hyperconnected information society of the 21st century. Reading fluency is one of the components that influences reading comprehension. This article explores the relationship between reading fluency and reading competence, and it also provides a reliable instrument for measuring it at the secondary level. The investigation is descriptive-correlational. The sample consisted of 382 Secondary School students, to whom two instruments were applied: CoLeP, based on the texts released from PISA and the Reading Fluency Scale adapted for the secondary level. The results establish a positive, yet weak, relationship between fluency and reading competence. The relationship is not unidirectional. On the other hand, it is considered that reading fluency is an essential component in itself, independently of its level of relationship with comprehension and, therefore, should be considered in teaching processes, even at the secondary level.