Abstract:

Introduction:
Speaking is fundamental to human communication. Oral language is one of the most important skills that students can master both for social and academic success (Brown, 1994). Moreover, it has been argued that deficiencies in oral skills are reflected in reading skills (Robb, 2019). Researchers first need to know the characteristics of the deficiencies of both oral and reading skills in order to develop strategies to compensate against such difficulties. This paper aims to:
(a) present the qualitative characteristics of the oral speech of pupils in the three higher grades of elementary school and
(b) explore a possible connection between specific aspects of oral skills and reading skills (decoding and comprehension).

Research Methodology – Design:
A mixed method (quantitative and qualitative) research design was developed to define the characteristics of students’ speech, comprising
i. one-to-one, Conversational Interviews based on open-ended questions (Lewis, 1992), which consisted of two equivalent parts: In the first part participants had to speak on a topic that concerns themselves, while in the second part they had to speak on a topic related to their academic knowledge.
ii. Focus Interviews Groups (Focus Groups) (Creswell, 2008; Cohen et al., 2000), which revealed authentically the students’ oral speech.
iii. A standardized test for reading (decoding and comprehension) (Athina Test, 2011).

Results:
One of the most significant findings of our research is that the characteristics of students’ oral skills remain undiversified through the three higher grades of elementary school belie reading skills (decoding and comprehension). The restricted range of vocabulary and the lack of fluency and syntactic complexity in their speech results in communication being realized indirectly. Moreover, in the sample that we processed and analyzed we observed lack of terminology, special vocabulary and eloquence. On the other hand, the participants’ reading skills (decoding and comprehension) not only are described as developing throughout the years (almost 10% every year), but also, they appear in the higher span for their age. Finally, our findings indicate that factors such as syntactical complexity and eloquence do not only describe but also predict oral and reading skills.

Practical implications:
All the above results have several practical implications worthy of future research. First, we need to examine further the correlation between oral and reading skills in order to understand it more thoroughly and extend our awareness of this issue. Additionally, we have to examine how our theoretical understanding of the relationship between oral and reading skills could contribute to the development of effective teaching strategies and methods for acquiring these skills.

Keywords:

Oral skills, reading skills, correlation, elementary school.