Academic Language as a Predictor of Reading Comprehension in Monolingual Spanish-Speaking Readers: Evidence From Chilean Early Adolescents

In this study, we examine the unique and shared contributions of Spanish and English core academic language skills (CALS) to English reading comprehension in a population of Spanish-English dual language learners in Grades 4 and 5 (n = 165). We focus on cross-disciplinary CALS, operationalized as sets of high-utility lexical, syntactic and discourse resources prevalent in school texts. This study finds that Spanish and English CALS are positively and significantly related, and, further, that both sets of skills exert a unique positive influence on English reading comprehension. Aligned with an interpretation of linguistic interdependence between Spanish and English academic language skills, results document their cross-linguistic contribution to reading comprehension for students enrolled in educational programs that foster literacy and content learning regularly in two languages.

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Improving content area reading comprehension of Spanish speaking English learners in Grades 4 and 5 using web-based text structure instruction

Reading and Writing ◽

10.1007/s11145-017-9802-9 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 31 (9) ◽

pp. 1969-1996 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Kausalai Wijekumar ◽

Bonnie J. F. Meyer ◽

Puiwa Lei ◽

Anita C. Hernandez ◽

Diane L. August

Keyword(s):

Reading Comprehension ◽

English Learners ◽

Content Area Reading ◽

Text Structure ◽

Content Area ◽

Web Based ◽

Spanish Speaking ◽

Structure Instruction

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Roles of morphological awareness in the reading comprehension of Spanish-speaking language minority learners: Exploring partial mediation by vocabulary and reading fluency

Applied Psycholinguistics ◽

10.1017/s0142716411000920 ◽

2012 ◽

Vol 34 (4) ◽

pp. 697-725 ◽

Cited By ~ 44

Author(s):

MICHAEL J. KIEFFER ◽

GINA BIANCAROSA ◽

JEANNETTE MANCILLA-MARTINEZ

Keyword(s):

Reading Comprehension ◽

Reading Fluency ◽

Word Reading ◽

Morphological Awareness ◽

Language Minority ◽

Unique Contribution ◽

Spanish Speaking ◽

Reading Vocabulary ◽

Language Minority Learners ◽

Vocabulary Word

ABSTRACTThis study investigated the direct and indirect roles of morphological awareness reading comprehension for Spanish-speaking language minority learners reading in English. Multivariate path analysis was used to investigate the unique contribution of derivational morphological awareness to reading comprehension as well as its indirect contributions via three hypothesized mediators for students in sixth, seventh, and eighth grade (N = 101). Results indicated a significant unique contribution of morphological awareness, controlling for phonemic decoding, listening comprehension, reading vocabulary, word reading fluency, and passage reading fluency. Results further indicated significant indirect contributions of morphological awareness via reading vocabulary and passage fluency, but not via word reading fluency. Findings suggest that morphological awareness may play multiple important roles in second-language reading comprehension.

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Correlates of reading comprehension and word-problem solving skills of Spanish-speaking dual language learners

Early Childhood Research Quarterly ◽

10.1016/j.ecresq.2019.04.006 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 48 ◽

pp. 256-266 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

J. Marc Goodrich ◽

Jessica M. Namkung

Keyword(s):

Reading Comprehension ◽

Problem Solving ◽

Language Learners ◽

Word Problem ◽

Dual Language ◽

Dual Language Learners ◽

Word Problem Solving ◽

Problem Solving Skills ◽

Spanish Speaking

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The relationship between morphological awareness and reading comprehension in Spanish‐speaking children

Scandinavian Journal of Psychology ◽

10.1111/sjop.12578 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 60 (6) ◽

pp. 501-512

Author(s):

María Josefina D'Alessio ◽

Virginia Jaichenco ◽

Maximiliano A. Wilson

Keyword(s):

Reading Comprehension ◽

Morphological Awareness ◽

Spanish Speaking ◽

The Relationship

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Learning to Read: the Case of Moroccan Students who Learn Spanish

The Spanish Journal of Psychology ◽

10.1017/sjp.2013.109 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 16 ◽

Author(s):

Antonio Aguilera-Jiménez ◽

Carmen Delgado ◽

Alfonso Luque ◽

Francisco J. Moreno-Pérez ◽

Isabel. R. Rodríguez-Ortiz ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Reading Comprehension ◽

Reading Fluency ◽

Reading Ability ◽

Word Reading ◽

Immigrant Students ◽

Learning To Read ◽

Reading Processes ◽

Spanish Speaking ◽

Oral Vocabulary ◽

L1 And L2

AbstractThe aims of this study are to assess L1 and L2 variables that influence the reading acquisition of students of Moroccan origin in the South of Spain and compare their reading ability with native Spanish-speaking children. Participants were 38 students of Moroccan origin and 37 native Spanish-speaking students from the same classes. We used an oral vocabulary test and a reading comprehension test, which taps lexical, semantic, and syntactic reading processes, and reading fluency. The results indicated that immigrant students differed from native Spanish-speaking students in word reading, reading fluency, and the use of punctuation marks, but there were no significant differences in reading comprehension. In native Spanish-speaking students, reading comprehension correlated significantly with oral vocabulary and the other reading processes, but in the students of Moroccan origin, only receptive oral vocabulary in L2 correlated with the use of punctuation marks. Being in schools with educational resources specifically aimed at helping the Moroccan pupils was associated with a higher level of word reading in immigrant students.

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