Oral Language Skills Research Articles

The Role of Comprehension Monitoring in Predicting Reading Comprehension Among French Immersion Children

ABSTRACT Purpose This study investigated the extent to which comprehension monitoring in children’s first and second language predicts reading comprehension. Method Children’s ability to detect inconsistencies in orally presented stories was measured by response to a judgment question about whether the story made sense and by the identification of the inconsistency within the story. The participants included 115 English-French bilingual children (M ageGrade2 = 7.8 years) recruited from a French immersion program in Canada. Results In each language, two regressions were carried out to examine the contribution of comprehension monitoring to reading comprehension in Grades 2 and 3, and one regression was computed to examine the contribution of Grade 2 comprehension monitoring to Grade 3 reading comprehension. The concurrent results revealed that, in Grade 3, children’s comprehension monitoring was a unique predictor of reading comprehension in English and French. This relationship was not observed in Grade 2. Notably, the longitudinal analyses indicated that Grade 2 children’s comprehension monitoring in English made a significant contribution to English reading comprehension in Grade 3. However, this relationship was not established in French. Conclusions These results promote a call to include support for higher-level oral language skills during the early stages of bilingual reading instruction.

Specificity, Authenticity, and Inseparability: Assessing Integrated Oral Skills for Pilots and Air Traffic Controllers

Because the stakes are so high when assessing the oral language skills of pilots and air traffic controllers, they deserve to be tested in the use of the most specific language features of aviation English and in the most authentic context of their professions. In this talk I will discuss the problem of defining language specificity for professional purposes, the problem of reproducing authentic contexts in assessments, and the problem of the inseparability of language knowledge and professional background knowledge. In terms of specificity, I will talk about “Codes of Relevance,” which relate language use to specific professional contexts. The notion of authenticity is paramount since, unless pilot and ATC test takers can relate to the professional context in a realistic manner, then the judgments we make concerning their language abilities may not be valid. Finally, I will discuss the consequences of the notion that language knowledge and professional background knowledge are theoretically and practically inseparable.

The Efficiency of Metaverse Platforms in Language Learning Based on Jordanian Young Learners’ Perceptions

This study aims to collect young Jordanian learners’ opinions about the efficiency of using Metaverse platforms in language learning, focusing on the system’s perceived trialability, complexity, observability, and compatibility. It also aims to determine if it is appropriate for the future or should be used currently. The significance of the current study was to analyze the various technological changes that have occurred in the field of language learning to gain a deeper understanding of the effects of these changes on the students’ learning procedures of languages., To achieve the study’s primary goal, the researcher conducted the research during the academic years 2021-2022 on a sample of 50 high school students from different Jordanian schools. The study adopted a mixed-method approach, qualitative and quantitative. The researcher collected data from the participants through a refereed survey and various interviews conducted after the survey. Most young learners indicated that the Metaverse platforms could be used in various educational disciplines and fields. It could improve their knowledge of the language, and it could make the language course more enjoyable. However, they focused on the idea that they need more time to be ready to use Metaverse platforms in language learning, especially with oral language skills. The young learners believed the Metaverse platform has various advantages and could be used in the classroom soon. However, they noted that it could make learning challenging and distracting as it violates their class discipline.

Friends as a language learning resource in multilingual primary school classrooms

Interactions with classroom friends may be an important contributor to first and second language development, but to date this hypothesis has not been tested. Using a longitudinal design, the current study investigated the relationship between classroom friendships and oral language development in children. In 8 classrooms, we assessed the relationship between oral language skills and classroom social networks. Across the classrooms, 165 primary school children in Austria (83 boys; 119 L2 learners; age: 6–10) were assessed on oral language proficiency at the beginning of the school year (T1) and 6–7 months later (T2). Results indicated that the more reciprocal best friendships at T1, the greater language improvement at T2. Language improvement was strongest among friends with moderate differences in language proficiency, regardless of whether students were first or second language learners. These results underline the importance of positive social relations at school for language learning broadly.

Yes, they can: Developing transcription skills and oral language in tandem with SRSD instruction on close reading of science text to write informative essays at grades 1 and 2

This randomized controlled trial with first- and second-grade students is the first experimental study addressing long-running disagreements about whether primary grade students should develop transcription and oral language abilities before learning to compose. It is also the first study at these grade levels to teach close reading (using science text aligned to the Next Generation Science Standards) to plan and write a timed informative essay. Theoretically and evidence-based multi-component writing instruction was developed, termed “Self-Regulated Strategy Development (SRSD) Plus.” SRSD Plus integrates evidence-based practices for transcription (handwriting and spelling) and oral language skills (vocabulary and sentence structure) with SRSD instruction for close reading to learn and then write informative essays. A total of 93 children in Grade 1 (n = 46, 50% female) and Grade 2 (n = 47, 51% female) in a high poverty school participated in the study (50% boys; mean age = 6.68; SD = 0.48). Students were randomly assigned to either teacher-led SRSD Plus or business-as-usual (writers workshop) condition within class in each grade. SRSD Plus was implemented with small groups for 45 min, three times a week, for 10 weeks. Outcomes examined included: instructional fidelity, spelling, handwriting fluency, vocabulary, sentence proficiency, discourse knowledge, planning, writing quality, structural elements in informative essays, number of words written, use of transition words, expository text comprehension, and use of source text. Results showed moderate to large effect sizes in writing outcomes, oral language skills (vocabulary and sentence proficiency), spelling, and discourse knowledge. Differential effects due to grade, gender, and race are examined, and directions for future research are discussed.

Sustainable translanguaging pedagogy in support of the vulnerable language: honoring children’s ways of ‘Showing’ and ‘Telling’ in an early childhood dual language bilingual education program

ABSTRACT Show-and-Tell activity provides emergent bilingual (EB) children with an opportunity to engage oral language skills to support their developing bi/literacy. In dual language bilingual education (DLBE) preschool programs, teachers utilize translanguaging practices to facilitate communication, scaffold learning, and encourage participation. Using a sustainable translanguaging lens, we explore English- and Spanish-language model teachers' pedagogical choices in Show-and-Tell in support of children's Show-and-Tell purposes and practices. Video data were analyzed for discourse- and content-related codes to examine teachers' discursive and translanguaging choices and presenters' languaging practices during Show-and-Tell. Qualitative analyses revealed that teachers' translanguaging choices vary in response to the language context (i.e. teacher's designated language of instruction and the target language of the Show-and-Tell) and to children's languaging practices (i.e. choice of language, amount of unprompted talk, purpose of presentation, degree of peer involvement). Given the vulnerable status of Spanish as the minoritized language in an English-majority culture, teachers sustained the use and modeling of Spanish in Spanish Show-and-Tell while integrating Spanish as a supportive resource in English Show-and-Tell. Findings suggest implications for how teachers can protect minoritized languages within DLBE preschool programs while valuing children's authentic translanguaging practices and building on children's understanding language functions and forms in each language.

Is the reading crisis associated with an academic language crisis?

Is the reading crisis associated with an academic language crisis? Educators across the globe are trying to solve the reading crisis, as 4th-grade reading scores seem to change annually. Trina D. Spencer, PhD, BCBA-D, an Associate Professor at Rightpath Research & Innovation Center, University of South Florida noticed that reading improvements are rarely observed. Looking at efforts needed to target academic language, two broad repertoires are needed to achieve skilled reading, and both are related to language. First, the phonological aspects of language and second, the broad repertoire is related to the meaning of language. Language that is understood when spoken is easier to understand when it is in written form. Meaning listening comprehension precedes and leads to reading comprehension. Although the science of reading evidence is clear that oral language skills are critical for reading and writing, there is a paucity of guidance on how to teach language in ways that benefit later reading comprehension. Without more attention on classroom-based oral language instruction, educators will continue to focus their attention on teaching word recognition to the neglect of the meaning aspects of language...and the reading crisis will undoubtedly endure.

Teacher language quality in preschool classrooms: Examining associations with DLLs' oral language skills

Teachers’ use of language in the classroom (i.e., teacher talk) can have a positive impact on young children's oral language skills. This study examined the relationship between types of teacher talk and Spanish-English preschool dual language learners’ (DLLs) oral language abilities. Classroom observations were conducted in 64 preschool classrooms serving students from low-income backgrounds with a high number of DLLs (N=401) using the Language Interaction Snapshot. Across classrooms, high quality teacher talk occurred infrequently with few instances of observed responsive and decontextualized language interactions. The most commonly observed types of teacher talk in English included giving directions and contextualized language. Results indicated that teachers’ use of responsive language demonstrated the strongest relationship to DLLs’ English language outcomes, despite its low occurrence in classrooms. Our results suggest the need for increased teacher training on the benefits of high-quality language interactions for children's language development, especially for young DLLs. Training should focus on responsive language strategies that preschool teachers can use when teaching DLLs.

Implante coclear e transtorno do espectro autista: relato de caso

ABSTRACT Autism Spectrum Disorder is not an adverse condition for cochlear implantation, but the goals and expectations about the effects on hearing and language outcomes are different from the group of children without other impairments. The objective of this study was to analyze the development of auditory and oral language skills of a child with autism who underwent early cochlear implantation surgery and was included in an auditory (re)habilitation program using the aural-oral method. There was no benefit from the device for the development of oral language, and the child was referred to another communicative method. After 2 years and 9 months using the cochlear implants, there was little benefit from the use of the device for the development of auditory skills, with the child evolving to recognize only his own name. The patient quit using the device after three years of its activation.

UKRAINIAN AS A NATIVE, HERITAGE AND FOREIGN LANGUAGE: THE CONTENT OF CONCEPTS AND PRINCIPLES OF TEACHING

The interest in learning Ukrainian is constantly growing. Today, we can identify three audiences that learn the language: Ukrainians, the diaspora and foreigners. Accordingly, approaches to teaching it should be different. Therefore, the article defines the concepts of Ukrainian as a native language, Ukrainian as a heritage language, and Ukrainian as a foreign language. Attention is focused on the content of the concept of native speaker and its characteristics. Basic principles and tasks of a modern lesson in Ukrainian as a native language are characterized. These include the development of skills to work with information, create and analyze texts, and express one's own opinion. The lesson also performs an educational function, ensures the mastery of moral, ethical and psychological principles of communication and cooperation, etc. Traditional and non-traditional methods of language teaching are covered. For teachers of Ukrainian as a heritage language, the target audience is bilinguals who usually have good oral language skills formed under the influence of communication at home or in the community, but reading and writing skills are not sufficiently developed. Therefore, teachers should focus on the development of reading skills, including understanding the content of the text, and writing skills, including the ability to not only reproduce texts but also compose them. Teaching should use an activity-based method, a differentiated approach, a combination of different types of assignments, and interrelated language and culture teaching. This audience faces problems related to interference. The article also highlights the main principles and rules of teaching a language as a foreign one: the role of the foreigner's goal to learn the language, the choice of teaching methods based on the communicative approach, the construction of courses according to the level of language proficiency, the linguistic and cultural aspect, etc. As an example, the International Summer School of Ukrainian Studies «Step to Ukraine» organized by the International Institute of Education, Culture and Diaspora Relations of Lviv Polytechnic National University is cited.

The effectiveness of drama-based language teaching in improving students' oral language skills: Longitudinal studies

This study aims to examine the effectiveness of drama-based language teaching on oral language skills, namely the presentation skills of students in college. The research method used is a quasi-experimental method by dividing the participants into two groups. The research participants consisted of 160 students taken from the college level. Participants were divided into two groups with a composition of 80 experimental groups and 80 control groups. The results showed that the presentation skills of the experimental group showed a significant improvement after participating in the drama performance. The improvement in presentation skills occurs in three aspects, namely the structure of the presentation, adaptation to the audience and the quality of the presentation content. So, it can be concluded that this drama-based language teaching can encourage and practice speaking skills in real terms so that it has an impact on students' presentation skills. The implication of this research is that drama can be used as an alternative assignment in order to improve students' presentation skills. Keywords: Oral language skills, presentation skills, language teaching, drama

Identifying the Latent Profiles of Language Ability in 5- to 7-Year-Old Children

Objectives: Classifying children into two language ability groups, with and without language impairment, may underestimate the number of groups with distinct language ability patterns. In this study, we tried to classify the children based on their language performance. The purpose of this study was to identify the number and characteristics of latent language ability groups in Korean children. Methods: An unclassified sample of 147 Korean children aged 5 to 7 years participated in the study. Oral language skills in phonological (phonological awareness task), semantical (receptive vocabulary test), and syntactical (sentence repetition task) areas; language processing skills in processing capacity (non-word repetition task); and processing speed (rapid automatized naming task) were assessed. Latent profile analysis was conducted on the language measures. Results: Results indicated that a four-group model best represented the data, characterized by high performance in one group (15.7%), average skills in another group (65.8%), low processing speed in a third group (12.3%), and low grammaticality in a fourth group (6.2%). Conclusion: The latent profiles of language ability in Korean children seemed to be largely divided according to their level of language performance. However, in the group of children with low performance, the existence of different profiles was identified. This suggests that children with low performance may have difficulties learning language for two reasons: difficulties with either grammar or processing speed. Thus, assessing language abilities without testing both areas could potentially lead to misdiagnosis.

Improving Language Literacy Skills of 5 and 6-Year-Old Children Through Picture Story Method at School

This study aims to improve the language literacy skills of children aged 5-6 through the media of illustrated story series in Shabat Getasan school children of Semarang Regency. This research is urgent to determine the improvements to children's language literacy skills. This research is a class action research (PTK). This research consists of two cycles, and each cycle is held in two meetings. The subjects of this study were 12 children of Shabat Getasan School, Semarang Regency. The data was collected through observation and documentation. The observation results before the action (pre-cycle) showed language skills in children with Good criteria of 0%, and cycle I of children's oral language skills who entered the Good criteria of 0% and cycle II of 80-90%. The results showed that the media of picture stories could improve language literacy skills in children aged 5-6 years. Thus, it can be concluded that the media of picture stories can improve language literacy skills in Shabat Getasan school children, Semarang Regency.

The Role of Writing Process Components and Cognitive Components in Improving the Quality of Narrative

This study aims to study the relationship between the writing process through an online learning system and students' writing products. This study also studied cognitive factors in the process component and the final product of writing. The study used a factorial analysis design because it aims to determine what factors contribute significantly to narrative writing skills. The students who became the sample were 125 students comprising 60 males and 65 females. The research findings show that the writing process component has a significant contribution to the quality of students' narrative writing. The process components that affect the quality of narrative writing are spelling ability and the number of revisions made by students. Cognitive components that affect students' writing skills are oral language skills, reading skills, selective attention, capitalization, and spelling. Thus, this component of the process of writing narrative text is only correlated with the cognitive abilities of spelling and reading, in contrast to the quality of the final product which is correlated with spoken language skills, attention, and working memory. The implication of this research is to strengthen the cognitive role in narrative writing; teachers must encourage students to be active in spoken language and optimize reading teaching in the learning process.

ESL Teachers’ Perceptions towards Teaching the Four Skills for Developing Learners’ Communicative Abilities for Ordinary Secondary Schools: Do Learning Objectives Matter?

Country wide, studies on oral language skills in relation to students’ communicative competence are relatively scanty. These studies focused on testing and performance with less attention to oral language skills instruction. Hence, leaving a knowledge gap. Therefore, previous studies did not consider whether oral skills are included in teaching and learning in ESL classes. The findings reveal that effective teaching of language as communication calls for an integrated approach which represents different skills and abilities as aspects of as a single underlying activity. The present study was descriptive in nature. The study used mixed research approach. The study was conducted in Simiyu region, specifically, Bariadi district. The study used purposive sampling technique. The study used total population sampling which included 100 respondents. Only 75 respondents participated in questionnaires and focus group discussion. Thematic and content analysis were used in analyzing the data. The findings concluded that teaching ESL in ordinary secondary schools does not base on the teaching and learning objectives as prescribed in the 2010 syllabus for developing learners’ communicative competence. The contributing factors include the negative impact of assessment. This means that both internal and national examinations do not test or assess students in terms of mastery of oral language skills. Also, teaching methods especially integrated-skills approach that is suggested to be used when teaching the four skills is not used at all. Therefore, the present study recommends that there is a need of change of both teaching/learning methods, materials, time and assessment objectives so as to meet the intended goals of teaching ESL in ordinary secondary schools in Tanzania

Modeling the Effects of Oral Language Skills on Early Reading Development in an Orthographically Consistent Language

ABSTRACT Purpose The present study examined the nature of the effects (direct or indirect) of vocabulary, phonological and morphological awareness on early reading skills in the consistent Greek orthography by testing a unifying model of early reading development in a sample of 141 first-grade children. Method Vocabulary, phonological and morphological awareness were assessed in the middle of grade 1, whereas word reading accuracy, word reading fluency, and reading comprehension were measured at the end of the same grade. Results Results from structural equation modeling showed that phonological awareness directly predicted word reading accuracy, which mediated the effects of phonological awareness on reading comprehension and word reading fluency. Reading comprehension was directly supported by vocabulary, which also mediated the effect of morphological awareness on reading comprehension. Morphological awareness had an indirect effect on word reading accuracy through phonological awareness and via this distal path indirectly predicted reading comprehension and word reading fluency. Conclusion Findings highlight the complex relations between oral language and early reading skills and suggest that, although the effects of oral language skills may differ depending on the reading outcome, all of them can significantly promote early reading development. Therefore, they should be included during reading instruction.

Psychometric Properties of a Preschool Language, Literacy, and Behavior Screener

This study investigated the psychometric properties of the Preschool Language, Literacy, and Behavior Screener (PLLB-S). We examined and tested the factor structure of the PLLB-S using exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses. We further conducted internal consistency, concurrent validity, and predictive validity analyses and evaluated teacher satisfaction using PLLB-S. Our factor analyses resulted in 22 items distributed among three subscales with high internal consistency: Oral language, emergent literacy, and behavior skills. The PLLB-S and its subscales correlated moderately to strongly with standardized measures. The emergent literacy of the PLLB-S was the only subscale that significantly predicted children’s later vocabulary knowledge. Preschool teachers reported high satisfaction with the content and purpose of the questionnaire. We concluded that this tool with sound psychometric properties can potentially help increase the feasibility and efficiency of implementing standardized assessments in MTSS frameworks in preschool classrooms.

Ihmisarvioijien näkemyksiä suullisen kielitaidon automaattisesta arvioinnista, digitaalisesta arviointiprosessista sekä puhesuorituksista arvioitavista ulottuvuuksista

This study investigated human raters’ perceptions of automated assessment of oral language skills. The raters (n = 37) participated in three assessment rounds organized by the DigiTala research project using Moodle and Zoom. The raters assessed Finnish and Swedish learners’ speech samples using one holistic and five analytical rating scales created in the project. After the assessment, the raters responded to a questionnaire that included Likert-scale and open-ended questions. Numerical responses were analyzed with descriptive statistics, open responses with content analysis. The raters think that automated scoring could support human rating. The assessment rounds were carried out successfully. The selected dimensions proved to be essential parts of the speaking performances. The results will benefit those working on automated assessment and oral language assessment.

Sing and Play Your Way to Reading: Building Emergent Literacy Skills in Infants and Toddlers Through Music

AbstractThe article highlights connections between music and movement activities and emergent literacy development among infants and toddlers. I review how music is linked to phonological awareness, oral language, vocabulary, and other related skills that support reading, like executive function. I also highlight the benefits of including teacher‐facilitated, hands‐on, active music experiences, even when teachers may lack confidence in their musical abilities and music training. The article provides teachers with easy‐to‐implement activities to use in the classroom to explicitly support literacy through developmentally appropriate and engaging music and movement activities, including songs, instruments, movement, and song‐based picture books.

Graphogame intervention as a tool for early diagnosis of reading difficulties in Spanish-speaking children with developmental language disorder

GraphoGame is a computer-based game that trains grapheme-to-phoneme associations and has been shown to benefit reading acquisition in different languages and countries. In transparent languages, such as Spanish, learning grapheme-to-phoneme associations is of great importance when learning to read, and GraphoGame can help children at risk of developing reading difficulties overcome their struggles. Children with developmental language disorder (DLD) are at high risk of developing reading difficulties, and they are therefore an interesting target group for a study on the effects of using GraphoGame as an intervention tool, as well as a tool for early diagnosis of later reading difficulties. Using generalised linear mixed models, this article explores the progress made in GraphoGame and reading-related skills by children with DLD – with and without comprehension difficulties – and their typically developing (TD) classmates in kindergarten or first grade. Fifty-nine children were included in the current study (16 TD and 43 DLD; mean age = 6.4 years, SD = 0.7 years). By testing children before and after six weeks of GraphoGame intervention, changes in their performance at letter recognition, pseudoword recognition and phonological awareness are studied. In addition to the differences due to oral language skills (expressive and receptive), how the children perform in GraphoGame and whether the progress in the aforementioned reading-related skills is predictive of reading status in second grade (good or poor readers) are examined. After six weeks of GraphoGame intervention, all children improved at all of the assessed reading-related skills, regardless of the test (letter recognition, phonological awareness and pseudoword recognition). Additionally, the children with DLD with comprehension difficulties made less progress in GraphoGame than the other two groups. The same was found for the children who were classified as poor readers in second grade: none of the poor readers reached the highest levels of the game. Finally, performance at the first level of GraphoGame mildly correlated with reading fluency, as assessed one year after the intervention. Future studies should consider larger populations, as well as the long-term effect of interventions such as the one studied here.