English Word Reading Research Articles

Understanding the Role of Eye Movement Pattern and Consistency in Isolated English Word Reading Through Hidden Markov Modeling.

In isolated English word reading, readers have the optimal performance when their initial eye fixation is directed to the area between the beginning and word center, that is, the optimal viewing position (OVP). Thus, how well readers voluntarily direct eye gaze to this OVP during isolated word reading may be associated with reading performance. Using Eye Movement analysis with Hidden Markov Models, we discovered two representative eye movement patterns during lexical decisions through clustering, which focused at the OVP and the word center, respectively. Higher eye movement similarity to the OVP-focusing pattern predicted faster lexical decision time in addition to cognitive abilities and lexical knowledge. However, the OVP-focusing pattern was associated with longer isolated single letter naming time, suggesting conflicting visual abilities required for identifying isolated letters and multi-letter words. In contrast, in both word and pseudoword naming, although clustering did not reveal an OVP-focused pattern, higher consistency of the first fixation as measured in entropy predicted faster naming time in addition to cognitive abilities and lexical knowledge. Thus, developing a consistent eye movement pattern focusing on the OVP is essential for word orthographic processing and reading fluency. This finding has important implications for interventions for reading difficulties.

Early skills that predict English reading ability: A longitudinal study of bilingual children from 5 to 10 years

Despite substantial research, the contribution of oral language skills acquired in Spanish to Spanish–English bilingual children’s acquisition of English reading skill is unclear. The current study addressed this question with data on the oral language and pre-literacy skills of 101 Spanish–English bilingual learners at 5 years of age and their English word reading (i.e., decoding) and reading comprehension skills at 6, 7, 8, 9, and 10 years. Separate multilevel models using English language, Spanish language, and pre-literacy skills as predictors of these outcomes identified English phonological awareness, Spanish phonological awareness, and concepts of print knowledge as positive predictors of word reading. A final model including all these significant predictors found only Spanish phonological awareness and concept of print to be significant predictors. Significant predictors of reading comprehension in separate models were English vocabulary, Spanish phonological awareness, and concepts about print. In the final model, only English vocabulary and Spanish phonological awareness predicted English reading comprehension. These findings provide evidence that phonological awareness is a language-general skill that supports reading across languages, consistent with the common underlying proficiency model of bilingual reading development. The finding that only English vocabulary predicts English reading comprehension suggests that vocabulary knowledge is not part of a common underlying proficiency but is language specific in its value to reading ability.

Using Digital Flashcards to Improve English Word Reading Skills in Thai Primary School Learners

Using Digital Flashcards to Improve English Word Reading Skills in Thai Primary School Learners

Introduction to Magic E in Reading English Words CVCe

English vowels consist of five letters that have different pronunciations (sounds) in English words. There are 20 vowel sounds and 24 consonant sounds in English. It is a challenge for English teachers to teach English learners the concept of reading English words. English vowels with the symbols a, i, u, e, and o have different pronunciations when they are positioned between consonants in the word CVC and when the word CVC is added by the letter e in the word CVCe. Therefore, this paper analyzed the influence of the letter e (which is referred to as magic e) in the pronunciation of English vowel sounds. This research is qualitative research with documentation study methods to analyze and explain how the vowel sounds are pronounced in CVC and CVCe words so that English reading teaching steps are obtained that are easy to understand. The results showed that English vowels were pronounced as short vowel sounds in CVC words and pronounced as long vowel sounds in CVCe words. The steps to teach magic e that can be applied are to repeat the short vowel sound material, introduce the concept of sounds and letters, introduce the concept of short and long vowel sounds, read two words similar in the concept of CVC and CVCe, and practice reading the word CVCe regularly.

Longitudinal effects of socioeconomic status on first and second language reading development: evidence from Chinese children learning English

AbstractWhile it has been shown that socioeconomic status (SES) is important for children’s literacy development in their first language (L1), less is known about its association with reading in a second language (L2). The present study examined the different effects of SES on the acquisition of reading in Chinese as L1 and English as L2 from ages 7 to 11, among 291 Chinese children. The results showed that the contribution of SES to Chinese word reading was not significant. In contrast, SES significantly predicted English word reading. Mediation analyses revealed that SES had direct and indirect effects on English word reading, through phonological awareness and letter name knowledge, but only an indirect effect on Chinese word reading through phonological awareness and vocabulary knowledge. These findings highlight the importance of SES for reading acquisition in L2, and the influence of language-specific characteristics on the cognitive/linguistic skills required to master reading in a specific language.

Visual cortex anodal transcranial direct current stimulation does not alter reading performance for Chinese presented character-by-character to normal peripheral vision in older adults.

Visual cortex anodal transcranial direct current stimulation (a-tDCS) has been shown to reduce crowding in normal peripheral vision and may improve the reading of English words in patients with macular degeneration. Given the different visual requirements of reading English words and Chinese characters, the effect of a-tDCS on peripheral reading performance in English might differ from Chinese. This study recruited 20 participants (59-73 years of age) with normal vision and tested the hypothesis that a-tDCS would improve the reading of Chinese characters presented at 10° eccentricity compared with sham stimulation. Chinese sentences of different print sizes and exposure durations were presented one character at a time, 10° below or to the left of fixation. The individual critical print size (CPS) - the smallest print size eliciting the maximum reading speed (MRS) - was determined. Reading accuracies for characters presented 0.2 logMAR smaller than the individually fitted CPS were measured at four time points: before, during, 5 min after, and 30 min after receiving active or sham visual cortex a-tDCS. Participants completed both the active and sham sessions in a random order following a double-blind, within-subject design. No effect of active a-tDCS on reading accuracy was observed, implying that a single session of a-tDCS did not improve Chinese character reading in normal peripheral vision. This may suggest that a-tDCS does not significantly reduce the crowding elicited within a single Chinese character. However, the effect of a-tDCS on between-character crowding is yet to be determined.

The impact of online learning during the pandemic on language and reading performance in English–French bilingual children

BackgroundThe COVID‐19 pandemic created a unique learning experience, characterised by school closures and a shift to online learning. Research suggests that online learning during the pandemic negatively impacted the reading development of elementary school children. However, little is known about the challenges of learning a second language (L2) remotely. Therefore, this study investigates the impact of online learning during the pandemic on language and reading development among French immersion (FI) students who learn French as an L2.MethodsA total of 137 Grade 1 and Grade 2 students from two cohorts were included in the study. The in‐person cohort consisted of 72 students who attended school in person and were tested in person before the pandemic. The online cohort consisted of 65 students who received virtual instruction during the pandemic and were tested online. Measures of vocabulary, word reading accuracy and fluency, and phonological awareness were administered in English and French to both cohorts. Analyses of covariance (ANCOVAs) were carried out to assess the effects of cohort and grade on the measures, with guardian education as a covariate.ResultsStudents in the in‐person cohort performed significantly better on French vocabulary and English word reading accuracy than students online. The cohort effect was not significant for other French and English measures. Grade 2 students significantly outperformed Grade 1 students in both English and French vocabulary and word reading.ConclusionsThe current results suggest that online learning may have had a moderately negative effect on French vocabulary but no impact on French phonological awareness or word reading. FI students' English skills were also largely unaffected. Therefore, FI students made progress on their language and literacy skills through online learning during the pandemic. The findings point to the importance of enhancing L2 vocabulary input during online learning.

Contribution of statistical learning in learning to read across languages.

Statistical Learning (SL) refers to human's ability to detect regularities from environment Kirkham, N. Z. (2002) & Saffran, J. R. (1996). There has been a growing interest in understanding how sensitivity to statistical regularities influences learning to read. The current study systematically examined whether and how non-linguistic SL, Chinese SL, and English SL contribute to Chinese and English word reading among native Chinese-speaking 4th, 6th and 8th graders who learn English as a second language (L2). Children showed above-chance learning across all SL tasks and across all grades. In addition, developmental improvements were shown across at least two of the three grade ranges on all SL tasks. In terms of the contribution of SL to reading, non-linguistic auditory SL (ASL), English visual SL (VSL), and Chinese ASL accounted for a significant amount of variance in English L2 word reading. Non-linguistic ASL, Chinese VSL, English VSL, and English ASL accounted for a significant amount of variance in Chinese word reading. Our results provide clear and novel evidence for cross-linguistic contribution from Chinese SL to English reading, and from English SL to Chinese reading, highlighting a bi-directional relationship between SL in one language and reading in another language.

Vowel Epenthesis in the Pronunciation of English Consonant Clusters by Kuwaiti EFL Learners

This study investigated pronunciation errors made by Kuwaiti Arabic (KA) learners of English as a foreign language (EFL) in their production of English consonant clusters. The participants consisted of 25 Kuwaiti EFL learners who were asked to read English words embedded in short sentences. Target words constituted initial, medial, and final-consonant clusters. Data were transcribed by the researchers in addition to three phoneticians for reliability and were further verified through Praat software. Results indicated that pronunciation errors made by these learners of English were restricted to initial and medial consonant clusters that violated the syllable structure requirements of their native dialect. When a conflict occurred between the syllable structure of their first language (L1) and that of the English language, the participants adopted two phonological repair strategies to resolve the conflict: vowel epenthesis and re-syllabification. These phonological repair strategies appeared to be a process of phonological rule transfer from the L1 to the second language (L2) and served to bring the underlying forms of the English words into conformity with restrictions on possible surface syllable structures of the Kuwaiti dialect. These findings highlight the need to develop materials and reading exercises in the classroom to raise students’ awareness of the differences between the syllable structure of their L1 and that of English and its role in successful communication.

Using the Content and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL) Approach to Teach Elementary Fourth Grade Mathematics: An Action Research

<p>行政院通過雙語國家政策後，許多縣市選擇CLIL為主要雙語教學模式，本研究透過教學行動研究反思與修正的歷程，建構可行的數學CLIL教學模式。研究者設計角度及三角形兩個幾何單元的教學，於110年10月6日至28日在國小四年級實施，蒐集室觀察紀錄、訪談、文件資料、省思札記、中、英語單元成就測驗等資料，進行綜合分析。本研究主要發現如下：1. CLIL的學習情境可視學生需求提供中文輔助，課堂融入70%的英語，並採異質分組促進同儕溝通互動。2. 課程設計可依學科內容設計不同難度的操作活動與統整型的素養任務。3. 教學實施可調整數學教科書活動安排，將相同數學概念整併，規劃符合CLIL內容和語言循環的教學活動。4. 學習評量在課堂中著重英語聽和說形成性評量，課堂最後回到中文數學課本習題檢核數學概念。5. 全班學生數學表現穩定，未因CLIL教學影響學習成效，但部分學生會受到英語單字、句型閱讀能力影響數學答題表現。</p> <p> </p><p>After the Executive Yuan passed “Bilingual Nation 2030”, many county(city) governments chose CLIL as the primary bilingual teaching model. This study constructed the practicable CLIL mathematics teaching model through the process of reflection and revision of the teaching action research. I designed two geometry units in angles and triangles, which were implemented in the fourth grade of elementary school from October 6 to 28, 110. I collected classroom observations, interviews, documents, personal journals and achievement tests in Chinese and English for comprehensive analysis. The following findings are presented: 1. CLIL learning contexts can provide Chinese according to students’ needs, integrate 70% of English into the classroom, and arrange heterogeneous groupings to promote peer communication and interaction. 2. Curriculum design can arrange hands-on activities and integrated literacy assignments with different levels of difficulty according to the subject content. 3. Teaching implementation can adjust the arrangement of mathematics textbook activities, integrate the same mathematical concepts, and plan by the CLIL content and language cycle. 4. Learning assessment focuses on English listening and speaking formative assessment in the classroom, and finally returns to the Chinese mathematics textbook exercises to check mathematical concepts. 5. All students’ performance in mathematics was stable and not affected by the CLIL instruction, but some students’ performance in mathematics was affected by their ability to read English words and sentences.</p> <p> </p>

The influence of segmental and suprasegmental phonological awareness on word and pseudoword reading-A comparison between native English speakers and native Chinese speakers of English.

Segmental and suprasegmental phonological awareness (PA) are closely related to word reading skills in native speakers learning to read an alphabetic script as used in English. However, their roles in English word and pseudoword reading among native Chinese (NC) speakers, and how English proficiency might affect these relationships, remain less clear. This study examined the links between English segmental/suprasegmental PA and word/pseudoword reading in NC and native English (NE) speakers. Both child and adult participants were assessed on English segmental and suprasegmental PA, alongside vocabulary, at a single time point. The results showed that both segmental PA (elision and segmenting nonwords) and suprasegmental PA (aural suffix judgment and written suffix judgment) were significantly correlated with English real word and pseudoword reading of both NE and NC children, and NC adults, but not NE adults. Moreover, for NE and NC children, segmental PA correlated stronger with real word reading than suprasegmental PA after controlling for vocabulary. Among NC adults, both segmental and suprasegmental PA significantly contributed to real word reading. For pseudoword reading, after controlling for vocabulary, segmental PA had a stronger correlation among NC children and adults, while suprasegmental PA was more influential for NE children. This research gives insights into factors influencing NC speakers' English word reading ability, bearing essential implications for enhancing second language literacy in learners from a logographic background.

The effects of foreign language anxiety on English word reading among Chinese students at risk of English learning difficulties

AbstractForeign language anxiety has influenced reading achievement in English as a second language learning (ESL). However, less is known about how foreign language anxiety affects Chinese students learning English as L2 and the interplay between foreign language anxiety and cognitive-linguistic factors on L2 reading performance. This longitudinal study examined the impact of foreign language anxiety on English word reading and the mediating effect of cognitive-linguistic skills between foreign language anxiety and English word reading in a sample of 177 grades 2 to 3 ESL Chinese students at risk of English learning difficulties. Foreign language anxiety was assessed using parent-rated and child-rated questionnaires at T1. Students were assessed on English word reading at T1 and T2 and cognitive-linguistic skills: phonological awareness, expressive vocabulary knowledge, and working memory at T1. Path analysis showed that parent-rated foreign language anxiety significantly predicted T1 English word reading after controlling for working memory. However, child-rated foreign language anxiety did not significantly predict English word reading. Moreover, mediation analysis showed that parent-rated foreign language anxiety significantly predicted T2 English word reading through T1 English word reading and expressive vocabulary knowledge. Findings highlight the impact of foreign language anxiety on L2 word reading and suggest that mothers’ involvement in children’s ESL is essential.

Chinese Students Learning English as a Second Language

The way in which different cities teach children to read in Chinese may have an impact on the skills they later utilize to acquire English word reading skills. This study examined the relative contributions of several cognitive–linguistic measures to English word reading for Chinese students learning English as a second language in two Chinese cities, one whose school system teaches Pinyin (Beijing) and one whose school system does not teach Pinyin (Hong Kong). Students in grades 2–3 completed measures on Chinese morphological awareness (MA), Chinese phonological awareness (PA), Pinyin writing, and English word reading. In the Beijing group, it was found that PA (β = 0.334, p < 0.01) and Pinyin (β = 0.257, p < 0.05) were significant predictors of English word reading. In contrast, in the Hong Kong group, only MA (β = 0.263, p < 0.05) was found to be a significant predictor of English word reading. The difference in predictors could be due to the availability of a phonological tool (Pinyin) for the Beijing students when learning Chinese, while the Hong Kong group may have relied more heavily on learning using MA and rote memory techniques. Overall, the results from this study provide data supporting the benefits of having a phonological tool like Pinyin for Chinese children when learning to read in English.

The cognitive-linguistic profiles and academic performances of Chinese children with dyslexia across cultures: Beijing, Hong Kong, and Taipei.

This study examined the cognitive-linguistic and literacy-related correlates of dyslexia in three Chinese cities and the English word reading and mathematics performances of Chinese children with dyslexia. Chinese children with/without dyslexia were measured with an equivalent test battery of literacy and mathematics in Beijing, Hong Kong, and Taipei. Univariate analysis results suggested that phonological sensitivity distinguished those with and without dyslexia across all three cities in group comparisons. In Taipei and Hong Kong, morphological awareness, delayed copying, and spelling also distinguished the groups. Logistic regression analyses demonstrated that Chinese character reading, as directly compared to Chinese word reading, also distinguished the groups particularly well. In addition, in Beijing and Hong Kong, children with dyslexia performed significantly less well in English word reading than those without dyslexia. In Hong Kong and Taipei, children with dyslexia also had difficulties in mathematics performance. Findings highlight the fundamental importance of some cognitive-linguistic skills for explaining Chinese dyslexia across cultures, the utility of recognizing the individual Chinese character as a foundational unit of analysis in Chinese across cultures, and the generalizability of the comorbidity of both English as a second language (L2) and mathematics with dyslexia in Chinese children in both Beijing and Hong Kong.

The importance of phonological awareness as a natural approach in children’s reading process from Manuela Cañizares School

The present study examines the significant impact of phonological awareness on the reading acquisition of children aged 10 to 12, with a specific focus on those acquiring English as a second language in Ecuador. The report highlights the pressing need for educational reforms considering the nation’s difficulties in achieving mastery in the English language. The study used a mixed-methods methodology, using questionnaires and observations to examine the complexities of phonological awareness as a naturalistic approach and its influence on reading ability. The results of the study indicate that a considerable percentage of pupils have difficulties in reading English words, highlighting the need to implement efficient teaching approaches. This research paper presents a survey on a phonological awareness intervention, showing its capacity to improve both phonological awareness abilities and reading ability. Furthermore, the study reveals a deficiency in the use of natural approach techniques and pronunciation tactics, underscoring prospects for pedagogical improvement. The study’s larger ramifications beyond the realm of education, prompting scientists in interconnected fields to contemplate the crucial significance of phonological awareness in the process of language learning. Although this study provides interesting insights, it is important to acknowledge several limitations. One drawback is the narrow scope of the examined linguistic aspects, which may restrict the generalizability of the findings. Additionally, there may be limits on the sample size, which might impact the overall validity and representativeness of the results. Subsequent investigations may be conducted to overcome these constraints and delve into the enduring effects of interventions, therefore offering full insights to educators, policymakers, and researchers interested in language acquisition and teaching. In general, this study highlights the importance of phonological awareness in resolving challenges with reading, facilitating successful language training, and contributing to wider conversations on language acquisition approaches.

THE PHONEMIC AWARENESS AND READING COMPREHENSION OF THE SECOND GRADERS

English literacy has been taught to students as a foreign language due to globalization. Learning English reading literacy begins at a young age and starts by learning words. Phonemic awareness aids the students in learning words in-depth and acts as the platform to identify a reading failure. The current research aims to find whether phonemic awareness and reading comprehension are related. The data for measuring phonemic awareness and reading comprehension was collected using a test and analyzed using IBM SPSS 25.0. The current study revealed that phonemic awareness is related positively to reading comprehension. Moreover, the students are revealed to understand learned words well. This research brings significance to teaching phonemes to young children to aid them in learning reading English. For future research, phonemic awareness should be paid attention to in learning reading comprehension by giving the students various English word reading exercises

Dyslexia-related loci are significantly associated with language and literacy in Chinese-English bilingual Hong Kong Chinese twins.

A recent genome-wide association study on dyslexia in 51,800 affected European adults and 1,087,070 controls detected 42 genome-wide significant single nucleotide variants (SNPs). The association between rs2624839 in SEMA3F and reading fluency was replicated in a Chinese cohort. This study explores the genetic overlap between Chinese and English word reading, vocabulary knowledge and spelling, and aims at replicating the association in a unique cohort of bilingual (Chinese-English) Hong Kong Chinese twins. Our result showed an almost complete genetic overlap in vocabulary knowledge (r2 = 0.995), and some genetic overlaps in word reading and spelling (r2 = 0.846, 0.687) across the languages. To investigate the region near rs2624839, we tested proxy SNPs (rs1005678, rs12632110 and rs12494414) at the population level (n = 305-308) and the within-twin level (n = 342-344 [171-172 twin pairs]). All the three SNPs showed significant associations with quantitative Chinese and English vocabulary knowledge (p < 0.05). The strongest association after multiple testing correction was between rs12494414 and English vocabulary knowledge at the within-twin level (p = 0.004). There was a trend of associations with word reading and spelling in English but not in Chinese. Our result suggested that the region near rs2624839 is one of the common genetic factors across English and Chinese vocabulary knowledge and unique factors of English word reading and English spelling in bilingual Chinese twins. A larger sample size is required to validate our findings. Further studies on the relationship between variable expression of SEMA3F, which is important to neurodevelopment, and language and literacy are encouraged.

Predicting the developmental trajectories of Chinese reading, English reading, and mathematics: Evidence from Hong Kong Chinese children.

We examined the developmental trajectories and cognitive predictors of first language Chinese reading, second language English reading, and mathematics skills in Hong Kong children in Grades 1-5. We used longitudinal data of 1,000 children (Mage = 7.59 years) assessed on phonological awareness, rapid naming, and morphological awareness in Grade 1 and Chinese word reading, English word reading, and arithmetic calculations in Grades 1-5. Results revealed a decelerating growth pattern for word reading in Chinese and English and a linear growth pattern for arithmetic calculations. Rapid naming and morphological awareness predicted the initial status of all academic skills. The findings suggest that although these academic skills share initial cognitive processes, they follow remarkably different developmental trajectories. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved).

WordSword: An Efficient Online Word Reading Assessment for Global English.

The development of efficient and reliable online assessments has become increasingly important in the digital era. We developed a 10-min online word reading assessment of global English based on the existing paper-and-pencil version of our English silent word reading test. The test includes two parts, namely, random word recognition and contextual word reading. A total of 889 participants (437 children and 392 adults; 62.7% female) took part in the study. They were from various regions including mainland China, Hong Kong SAR, Macau SAR, Poland, the United States, and the Philippines. Reliability and validity analyses on various demographics samples (by age and country/region of origin) demonstrated that the WordSword Test is highly reliable and valid (e.g., the correlation of this test with other English reading measures were above .80). Education level was positively correlated with test performance, while the correlations between age and test performance were not consistent. Ninety-seven children participants also took the paper-and-pencil version of the WordSword Test. The correlation between performances on the online and paper-and-pencil versions of the test was .879, one year apart. With more children and adults taking the WordSword Test, we ultimately hope to establish norms by area, grade level, and age.

Neural specialization to English words in Chinese children: Joint contribution of age and English reading abilities

N1 tuning to words, a neural marker of visual word recognition, develops by an interaction between age and ability. The development of N1 tuning to a second learnt print is unclear. The present study examined the joint contribution of age and English reading abilities to N1 amplitude and tuning to English print in Chinese children in Hong Kong. EEG signals were recorded from 179 children (six to nine years old) while they were performing a repetition detection task comprised of different print stimuli measuring three types of tuning, i.e., coarse tuning (real word versus false font), fine tuning (real versus nonword), and lexicality effect (real versus pseudo word). Children were assessed in English word reading accuracy (EWR) and English sub-lexical orthographic knowledge (EOK). Results indicated that coarse tuning decreased with age but increased with EWR and EOK. Fine tuning uniquely increased with EOK, and the lexicality effect increased with EWR. At last, higher EWR was linked to less right-lateralized coarse tuning in younger children. Taken together, the findings support the visual perceptual expertise account in the L2 context, in that N1 coarse tuning, fine tuning, and lexicality effect are driven by skill improvement.