A multiple-group comparison on the role of morphological awareness in reading: within- and cross-linguistic evidence from Korean ESL and EFL learners

Abstract

The purpose of the present study was to explore the role of morphological awareness in reading comprehension in different language learning contexts (ESL and EFL). Korean ESL and Korean EFL learners (50 and 257 respectively) in grades five and six were administered measures of L2 (English) morphological, phonological, and orthographic awareness (MA, PA, and OA), as well as reading comprehension. The participants’ L1 (Korean) MA was also measured. The multiple-group path analysis showed that among both group participants’ L2 MA was the greatest predictor for their L2 reading comprehension, when the effect of PA and OA was controlled (within-linguistic perspective). Concerning cross-linguistic perspective, there was a statistically significant difference between the ESL and the EFL groups: the ESL participants’ L1 MA played a positive role in predicting their L2 reading comprehension, but not for their EFL counterparts. Educational implications and research recommendations are discussed in relation to MA’s contribution to reading comprehension.