English Reading Development Research Articles

The effect of early enrollment in dual-language immersion programs on children’s English reading development: findings from a 5-year longitudinal study

ABSTRACT The present study examined the effect of children’s enrollment in U.S. dual-language immersion (DLI) programs in first grade on English development across five years, using the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study, Kindergarten Class of 2011 (ECLS-K:2011) database. Propensity score matching was used to create comparable groups of DLI and non-DLI students based on students’ kindergarten reading performance and a series of student-, family-, and school-level characteristics. Growth curve models demonstrate that first-grade DLI enrollment had a positive effect on children’s English reading growth from Grade 1 to 5. Children who enrolled in DLI experienced greater improvements by Grade 5. We also found that first-grade teacher judgment was related to children’s initial reading performance but not their reading growth. Implications related to DLI programs, teacher practices, and bilingual educational policies are discussed.

Contributions of Oral Narrative Skills to English Reading in Spanish-English Latino/a Dual Language Learners.

The study examined the contributions of Spanish and English oral narrative skills to English reading among 95 early elementary dual language learners (DLLs) from Spanish-speaking homes in the United States. This sample of first- and third-grade DLL children attended Spanish-English dual language immersion programs and received language and literacy instruction in both English and Spanish. All participants completed a storytelling task in both languages and two English reading tests in decoding and reading comprehension. The story narratives were analyzed for microstructures (number of different new words, lexical diversity [D], mean length of utterance, subordination index [SI]) using the Computerized Language ANalysis program. The narrative samples were also evaluated for macrostructures (i.e., discourse-level features) using the Narrative Scoring Scheme. Grade, English D, and Spanish SI significantly predicted English reading. Grade level was the strongest predictor of the three for both decoding and comprehension. However, Spanish SI was more robust than English D for decoding whereas English D was a stronger predictor than Spanish SI for comprehension. Young DLL children's oral narrative skills in English as well as in their home language Spanish contributed to their English reading outcomes. The study further specified the contributions of narrative elements to different reading skills. Microstructural elements appeared to play a stronger role in English reading than macrostructural elements for DLLs in dual language programs in early elementary grades. The results provided support for the simple view of reading and the linguistic interdependence hypothesis. The results also implicated that maintaining young DLL children's home language skills may be beneficial, rather than harmful, to their English reading development.

The effect of different teacher literacy training programmes on student’s word reading abilities in government primary schools in Northern Nigeria

ABSTRACT This study in Kano State, Nigeria, uses a quasi-experimental design to investigate the effectiveness of two teacher training programmes (ESSPIN and Jolly Phonics) in 536 government primary schools. In total, 5,449 children were tested using the phonics screening check to determine which teacher training programme positively affects learning. The effects are greater when teachers have completed two different programmes using adaptive instruction and include elements of coaching and mentoring. A pupil whose teacher has undertaken both training programmes will score 6.062 (p < 0.001) points higher in Primary One and 4.344 (p < 0.01) points higher in Primary Two. English spoken in the home, being a boy, and being older in your year group have a significant positive effect on word reading score. This research highlights the importance of meaningful and impactful teacher training on children’s reading development in English, the medium of instruction in Nigeria from the 4th year of primary school.

Measures of variability in transitional phases in second language development

Abstract This paper investigates measures of change to help demonstrate the necessity of variability as a developmental mechanism for advancing different features of L2 learning (related here primarily to writing, but also to reading) with a particular focus on learners at different stages of development. To do so, the work draws on three studies to build a case for using variability as a meaningful marker of change. Lowie, Wander M. &amp; Marjolijn Verspoor. 2019. Individual differences and the ergodicity problem. Language Learning 69. 184–206 found in a group of 22 Dutch learners of English that the Coefficient of Variation (CoV), rather than individual factors such as motivation and aptitude, showed a significant correlation with writing proficiency gains. A replication study by Huang, Ting, Rasmus Steinkrauss &amp; Marjolijn Verspoor. 2020b. Variability as predictors for L2 writing proficiency. Journal of Second Language Writing, with 22 Chinese learners of English revealed that the CoV rather than motivation, aptitude or working memory was a significant predictor in writing proficiency gains. A study by Gui, Min, Xiaokan Chen &amp; Marjolijn Verspoor. Submitted. The dynamics of reading development in English for Academic Purposes, on reading for academic purposes with 27 Chinese Chemistry majors showed that the Standard Deviation of differences (SDd) rather than proficiency in English or knowledge of Chemistry correlated with reading gains. Two further studies present tentative evidence that these changes take place especially at transitional phases while learning a new skill.

English Reading Growth in Spanish-Speaking Bilingual Students: Moderating Effect of English Proficiency on Cross-Linguistic Influence.

This study examined the extent to which kindergarten Spanish reading affected English reading growth trajectories through fourth grade among nationally representative Spanish-speaking bilingual students (N=312) in the United States and whether the association varied by students'English oral proficiency. Multilevel growth curve analyses revealed that stronger early Spanish reading was related togreater English reading growth. Within the stronger Spanish reading group, students with lower English oralproficiency initially beganbehind their counterparts but caught up with and surpassed them later. Within the weaker Spanish reading group, thedifference between lower and higher English oralproficiency groups increased over time. Findings suggest that initially well-developed Spanish reading competence plays a greater role in English reading development than English oral proficiency.

Learning to Read in Multiple Languages: A Study Exploring Allophone Students’ Reading Development in French Immersion

This article describes a two-year study of the French and English reading development of seven elementary French immersion (FI) students who spoke a home language that is neither English nor French. Given the critical role of literacy in school success and the growing number of third language (L3) learners entering FI, this study focused on L3 learners’ reading experiences. Standardized reading measures were administered in English and in French and think-aloud protocols and interviews were conducted with students. Results suggest that L3 students are similar to, if not stronger than, their bilingual peers with respect to English and French reading ability. They also relied on their knowledge of other languages to support French reading development and evidence of metalinguistic and metacognitive insights is presented. A number of classroom implications for teaching reading in diverse FI classrooms are included.

Implementing tablets to teach Reading in Grade 5

Literacy is regarded as a fundamental skill for people to communicate successfully in all areas of life. In the light of the poor performance of learners, an investigation concerning reading is imperative to enhance literacy in South Africa. This study explores the use of tablets to enhance English reading among learners in Grade 5 from selected primary schools in Atteridgeville. The sample consisted of 12 learners, six teachers and six parents. Tablets form part of connectivity because modern technology is used to draw the learners into listening and reading English. Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge focuses on the use of modern technology to enhance teaching and learning in education. The study followed a qualitative approach involving a case study. Focus group interviews and observations were used as research instruments. The findings of the investigation reveal that learners using tablets have an advantage, because modern digital natives enjoy the use of technology to communicate and learn, which enhances their reading and learning. Tablets provide learners with the opportunity to experience technology physically and independently. Audiobooks used on tablets were a great help to facilitate reading development in English, especially with regard to vocabulary branching and correct pronunciation. Funds are still a problem because the use of technology does not happen in all educational environments.

Neural deficits in auditory phonological processing in Chinese children with English reading impairment

Auditory phonological processing skills are critical for successful reading development in English not only in native (L1) speakers but also in second language (L2) learners. However, the neural deficits of auditory phonological processing remain unknown in English-as-the-second-language (ESL) learners with reading difficulties. Here we investigated neural responses during spoken word rhyme judgments in typical and impaired ESL readers in China. The impaired readers showed comparable activation in the left superior temporal gyrus (LSTG), but reduced activation in the left inferior frontal gyrus (LIFG) and left fusiform and reduced connectivity between the LSTG and left fusiform when compared to typical readers. These findings suggest that impaired ESL readers have relative intact representations but impaired manipulation of phonology and reduced or absent automatic access to orthographic representations. This is consistent with previous findings in native English speakers and suggests a common neural mechanism underlying English impairment across the L1 and L2 learners.

The Influence of Spanish Vocabulary and Phonemic Awareness on Beginning English Reading Development: A Three-Year (K–2nd) Longitudinal Study

This investigation examined the influence of varying levels of Spanish receptive vocabulary and phonemic awareness ability on beginning English vocabulary, phonemic awareness, word reading fluency, and reading comprehension development across kindergarten through second grade. The 80 respondents were Spanish speaking children with no English language skills at the start of kindergarten and varying attainments in Spanish. They were divided into four groups based on Spanish-language ability in receptive vocabulary and phonemic awareness. Analyses of the group’s scores on an array of assessments in English revealed four significant results: (1) the development of English vocabulary favored the groups with at or above Spanish receptive vocabulary, (2) Spanish phonemic awareness helped the acquisition of English phonemic awareness but appeared not to influence other assessment results unless combined with Spanish receptive vocabulary, (3) the advantages of Spanish phonemic awareness in the absence of Spanish receptive vocabulary only applied to English word reading fluency and phonemic awareness and not English vocabulary and comprehension, (4) initial Spanish receptive vocabulary ability had the greatest impact on 2nd-grade reading comprehension. The researchers link the implications and importance of these findings to existing scholarship.

The brain adapts to orthography with experience: evidence from English and Chinese.

Using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), we examined the process of language specialization in the brain by comparing developmental changes in two contrastive orthographies: Chinese and English. In a visual word rhyming judgment task, we found a significant interaction between age and language in left inferior parietal lobule and left superior temporal gyrus, which was due to greater developmental increases in English than in Chinese. Moreover, we found that higher skill only in English children was correlated with greater activation in left inferior parietal lobule. These findings suggest that the regions associated with phonological processing are essential in English reading development. We also found greater developmental increases in English than in Chinese in left inferior temporal gyrus, suggesting refinement of this region for fine-grained word form recognition. In contrast, greater developmental increases in Chinese than in English were found in right middle occipital gyrus, suggesting the importance of holistic visual-orthographic analysis in Chinese reading acquisition. Our results suggest that the brain adapts to the special features of the orthography by engaging relevant brain regions to a greater degree over development.

Reading and Deaf Individuals: Perspectives on the Qualitative Similarity Hypothesis

In this, the first article in the American Annals of the Deaf special issue on English reading development for individuals who are d/Deaf and hard of hearing, the coeditors aim to promote interdisciplinary dialogue among researchers regarding literacy research with d/Deaf and hard of hearing (d/Dhh) students by setting the tone for an open and inclusive forum. Researchers from various disciplines are invited to discuss the similarities and differences between students who are d/Dhh and their typically developing hearing peers in terms of aspects such as reading process, reading development, and reading assessment. Challenges related to the acquisition of language and literacy by d/Dhh students are described. The article highlights the purpose of the special issue, which is to explore what works where, when, why, and for whom.

What is the role of visual skills in learning to read?

OPINION article Front. Psychol., 24 July 2014Sec. Developmental Psychology https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2014.00776

The Importance of SES, Home and School Language and Literacy Practices, and Oral Vocabulary in Bilingual Children’s English Reading Development

This study explores the role that socioeconomic status (SES), home and school language and literacy practices, and oral vocabulary play in the development of English reading skills in Latino English language learners (ELLs) and how these factors contribute differentially to English reading outcomes for children of different ages and in different settings: 292 Spanish-speaking kindergarteners in mostly English instruction, 85 Spanish-speaking third graders in bilingual instruction, and 70 Spanish-speaking fifth graders in both English and bilingual settings. Data were analyzed using hierarchical regression. Findings indicate that for each sample, English oral vocabulary is a significant predictor of English reading accuracy and comprehension once SES and home and school language and literacy factors have been considered. Beyond oral vocabulary, however, there is considerable variability across samples in the home and school language and literacy variables that are predictive of English reading outcomes. The study points to the importance of looking closely at the texture of children’s lives in coming to an understanding of second-language literacy development.

A case study of bi-literacy development among children enrolled in an Italian–English dual language program in Southern California

This study examines bi-literacy development among 60 children enrolled in an Italian–English dual language (DL) program in Southern California. Using a variety of measures including (1) oral reading fluency (ORF), (2) accuracy scores, and (3) standardized test for the assessment of reading (STAR) test's estimates of reading ability for English, the study investigates how Italian and English literacy skills emerged and developed among first-, second-, and third- graders – and among English speakers and learners – educated via Italian immersion. The study also examines the extent to which ORF was correlated, and therefore transferred, between languages. The results indicate that reading fluency emerged first in Italian for all students. However, in a relatively short period of time, it became comparable across languages and even higher in English for English-speaking students. Correlations between Italian and English reading fluency scores were statistically significant and moderately high. This finding suggests that Italian decoding skills transferred to English, possibly helping children develop English literacy while primarily instructed in Italian. STAR test results further indicate that after a brief, initial lag in English reading skills, students caught up to and eventually read increasingly better than grade level in English. This finding confirms the possible long-term benefits of DL instruction on English reading development.

Parents helping their children learn to read: The effectiveness of paired reading and hearing reading in a developing country context

This paper reports research that investigated parental support for children’s reading of English in an inner-city school in the developing country context of an Indian city, Ahmedabad. Children had oral proficiency in the regional language but were beginning to acquire conventional forms of literacy in English. Sociocultural mediation theory underpinned a mixed-methods research design. A quasi-experimental trial with a sample of 241 children was conducted to assess the relative effectiveness of two approaches to parents supporting reading: Paired Reading and Hearing Reading. Interviews and observations with a smaller sub-sample of parents and children were utilised to further explore the implications of the trial data. Paired Reading and Hearing Reading were found to be equally effective in enhancing children’s beginning English reading skills, reading accuracy and comprehension, relative to controls. Parents engaged in a variety of mediation behaviours to enhance their children’s English reading development. Parents felt that participating in their children’s reading was both enriching and empowering. In view of the evidence that Hearing Reading can be, and was, implemented by parents with little or no English language proficiency, it is concluded that implementing Hearing Reading on a wider scale across the city could impact beneficially on children’s English reading development.

독해력 증진 프로그램 효과에 대한 메타분석

The purpose of this study is to examine the effect of reading development program on reading comprehension using meta-analysis method. The authors synthesized 70 studies regarding reading comprehension conducted during 2001 through 2011. The analyses revealed that 1) the average effect size of the reading development program yielded.763, which is regarded considerably large, 2) the effect size of elementary school group was the biggest, 1.030. There were statistically significant differences amongst school levels, 3) the average effect size of published journal articles was 1.250, which is statistically significantly larger than that of dissertation`s.700, 4) regarding the methods to measure the effect of reading comprehension, the effect size of reading method was larger, and 5) the effect size of Korean reading development program was statistically larger than that of English reading development program. This study has limitation as it didn`t include unpublished manuscripts, conference presentations, and the like, however this study is meaningful in terms that it tried to draw integrated conclusion about the effect of reading development programs using meta-analysis.

Unique Effects of a Family Literacy Program on the Early Reading Development of English Language Learners

Research Findings: The present study evaluated the effects of a Family Literacy program on the early English reading development of speakers of English as a first language (EL1s) and English language learners (ELLs). The study included a linguistically and culturally diverse sample of 132 kindergarten children and their parents. Families in the experimental group participated in a 9-week intervention program that was designed to promote early literacy in the home, whereas those in the control group did not receive the intervention. Both the experimental and control groups included EL1 and ELL children. Dependent variables included children's gains in alphabet knowledge, conventions of print, and meaning. Results indicated that ELL children in the experimental group made greater gains in their knowledge of the alphabet and their ability to infer meaning from print than EL1 children in the experimental group and both ELL and EL1 controls. There were no language group differences in children's gains in conventions of print. Practice or Policy: The results suggest that Family Literacy programs are associated with differential effects on the English reading development of EL1 and ELL children. Educational implications related to the development and implementation of effective Family Literacy programs for diverse communities are discussed.

The role of morphological awareness in reading achievement among young Chinese-speaking English language learners: a longitudinal study

The present study examined the development of morphological awareness and its contribution to vocabulary and reading comprehension among young Chinese-speaking English language learners (ELLs). We focused on two aspects of morphological awareness: derivational awareness and compound awareness. Participants included 46 kindergarteners (younger cohort) and 34 first graders (older cohort) of Chinese descent in Canada at the beginning of the study. Children were administered a battery of English measures including derivational awareness, compound awareness, phonological awareness, receptive vocabulary, and reading comprehension at two time points spaced 1 year apart. Results demonstrated a steady growth in Chinese-speaking ELL children’s derivational and compound awareness from kindergarten to Grade 2. Importantly, for the first graders, morphological awareness accounted for unique variance in vocabulary concurrently, and unique variance in both vocabulary and reading comprehension a year later. Generally speaking, the variance explained by morphological awareness increased with grade level, and derivational awareness accounted for more variance in vocabulary and reading comprehension than did compound awareness. These results underscore the emerging importance of morphological awareness, especially derivational awareness, in young Chinese-speaking ELL children’s English reading development.

Early predictors of biliteracy development in children in French immersion: A 4-year longitudinal study.

English language predictors of English and French reading development were investigated in a group of 140 children who were enrolled in French immersion programs. Children were first tested in kindergarten, and their reading achievement was tested yearly in both English and French from Grades 1 to 3, with word-level and passage-level measures that assessed accuracy as well as fluency. Hierarchical linear modeling was used to examine which English variables predicted Grade 3 outcomes and growth rates in English and French, and to determine the set of predictors that accounted for the most variance in outcomes and growth rates in English and French reading. The variables that predicted English reading development were consistent with studies of monolingual English children, even though participants were concurrently learning to read in French. Our findings provide evidence that at least some of the skills that play a role in learning to read are general cognitive and linguistic skills that transfer across languages. Phonological awareness, letter-sound knowledge, rapid automatized naming, and grammatical ability in English were able to predict reading ability in French. In contrast, English receptive vocabulary was a language-specific predictor. These findings demonstrate that first-language measures can be useful in the early identification of children at risk for difficulty in learning to read in a second language.

Examining the role of time and language type in reading development for English Language Learners

The purpose of this study was to examine the development of English reading achievement among English Language Learners (ELLs) and to determine whether the time that an ELL's family was in the United States and the type of native language spoken affected their reading development. Participants were 300 third-grade ELLs from two different native language backgrounds (93 Somali-speaking and 207 Spanish-speaking students) who attended a large Midwestern urban school district. Students' reading achievement was assessed using curriculum-based measurement and a statewide reading assessment. Moderated multiple regression and multiple-group latent growth curve analyses were conducted. Results indicated that the time an ELL's family had been in the U.S. was an important factor in understanding the development of ELLs' reading achievement, whereas language type did not appear to be as important. Implications for research and practice associated with understanding and promoting English reading development among ELLs are discussed.