Factors that influence comprehension of connectives among language minority children from Spanish-speaking backgrounds

2008 ◽  
Vol 29 (4) ◽  
pp. 603-625 ◽  
Author(s):  
AMY C. CROSSON ◽  
NONIE K. LESAUX ◽  
MARIA MARTINIELLO
Keyword(s):  
Oral Language ◽  
Listening Comprehension ◽  
Word Reading ◽  
Critical Role ◽  
Language Minority ◽  
Vocabulary Knowledge ◽  
Minority Children ◽  
Text Cohesion ◽  
Language Competencies

ABSTRACTThis study explores factors influencing the degree to which language minority (LM) children from Spanish-dominant homes understand how connectives, such as in contrast and because, signal relationships between text propositions. Standardized tasks of vocabulary, listening comprehension, word reading, and a researcher-designed text cohesion task were administered to 90 fourth-grade LM students. Understanding of connectives was influenced by vocabulary knowledge and listening comprehension. The degree of challenge that specific connectives posed to LM students was predicted by the difficulty that connectives presented as vocabulary items and also by the type of semantic relationship between clauses they signaled. The findings point to factors that may present sources of difficulty underlying reading comprehension, in particular the critical role of oral language competencies.

scholarly journals Development of first- and second-language vocabulary knowledge among language-minority children: evidence from single language and conceptual scores

2018 ◽  
Vol 45 (4) ◽  
pp. 1006-1017 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. Marc GOODRICH ◽  
Christopher J. LONIGAN
Keyword(s):  
Second Language ◽  
Language Minority ◽  
Vocabulary Knowledge ◽  
First Year ◽  
Minority Children ◽  
Assessment Technique ◽  
Large Sample ◽  
Second Year

AbstractThis study evaluated the development of vocabulary knowledge over the course of two academic years, beginning in preschool, in a large sample (N = 944) of language-minority children using scores from single-language vocabulary assessments and conceptual scores. Results indicated that although children began the study with higher raw scores for Spanish vocabulary knowledge than for English vocabulary knowledge, this was reversed by the end of the first year of the study. Similarly, at the beginning of the study unique Spanish vocabulary scores were larger than unique English or shared Spanish–English vocabulary scores; however, by the end of the first year of the study children's shared Spanish–English vocabulary scores were larger than unique English vocabulary scores, which were larger than unique Spanish vocabulary scores. These trends continued through the second year of the study. These results suggest that conceptual scoring is a useful assessment technique for children with limited exposure to their second language. Implications for assessment and instruction are discussed.

The Role of Literary Instruction in the Development of Reading and Writing Skills in Spanish as a Heritage Language during Childhood

2017 ◽  
Vol 14 (2) ◽  
pp. 100-123
Author(s):  
Alejandro Cuza ◽  
Lauren Miller ◽  
Adrian Pasquarella ◽  
Xi Chen
Keyword(s):  
Service Learning ◽  
Phonological Awareness ◽  
Reading Fluency ◽  
Heritage Language ◽  
Word Reading ◽  
Literacy Skills ◽  
Vocabulary Knowledge ◽  
Language And Literacy ◽  
Learning Program

The present study examines the role of instruction in the development of reading and writing skills in Spanish as a heritage language during childhood. Sixty-six (n=66) Spanish heritage speakers in K-4th grade participated in an 18-week Spanish intervention. The curriculum included the development of phonological awareness, reading fluency and accuracy as well as vocabulary via cognate instruction. Undergraduate students majoring in Spanish conducted the intervention as part of a service-learning program. Standardized measures given to the students before and after the intervention included phonological awareness, receptive vocabulary knowledge, word reading accuracy, and word reading fluency. The treatment group was compared to a group of twenty-five children (n=25) who did not participate in the program. The two groups were matched by age and non-verbal reasoning. Results from pre and post-tests showed significant gains for the treatment group in vocabulary growth, word reading fluency and word reading accuracy. Phonological awareness developed significantly for both groups, but there was no advantage for the experimental group. Overall, the intervention was effective at promoting both Spanish language and literacy skills (Rhoades, 2009). Contextualized and explicit instruction on word reading and decoding, as well as oral language and vocabulary knowledge in Spanish, helped Spanish heritage learners develop academic language and literacy skills in their first/minority language. Furthermore, the results provide strong evidence supporting the efficacy of a service-learning program aimed at facilitating the development of literacy skills among child heritage language learners.

scholarly journals Correction to: Predicting Arabic word reading: A cross-classified generalized random-effects analysis showing the critical role of morphology

2020 ◽  
Vol 70 (3) ◽  
pp. 379-379
Author(s):  
Sana Tibi ◽  
Ashley A. Edwards ◽  
Christopher Schatschneider ◽  
John R. Kirby
Keyword(s):  
Random Effects ◽  
Word Reading ◽  
Critical Role ◽  
Arabic Word

scholarly journals INVESTIGATING THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN DEPTH AND BREADTH OF VOCABULARY KNOWLEDGE AND LISTENING COMPREHENSION ACROSS DIFFERENT PROFICIENCY LEVELS AMONG IRANIAN EFL LEARNERS

2016 ◽  
Vol 3 (Special) ◽  
pp. 63
Author(s):  
SASAN BALEGHIZADEH ◽  
PAYAM PAYAM
Keyword(s):  
Listening Comprehension ◽  
English Language ◽  
Vocabulary Knowledge ◽  
Ability Group ◽  
Language And Literature ◽  
Determining Factors ◽  
Listening Proficiency ◽  
Listening Ability ◽  
The Relationship

This study was an attempt to investigate the particular role of learners’ depth and breadth of vocabulary knowledge in their listening comprehension. Moreover, it also sought to find out whether there is any difference between high and low listening proficiency groups in performance on depth and breadth dimensions of vocabulary knowledge. To this end, a total of 117 junior university students majoring in English language and literature participated in the study. In order to assess the learners’ listening comprehension, the listening section of a paper-based version of the TOEFL was administered. Their depth and breadth of vocabulary knowledge were measured through performance on Word Associate Test and Vocabulary Levels Test, respectively. The results of data analysis indicated that both depth and breadth of vocabulary knowledge are determining factors in successful listening comprehension. However, it was found out that breadth or size of vocabulary knowledge provides a more significant contribution than depth to listening comprehension. Furthermore, the results of the study indicated that depth and breadth of vocabulary knowledge are not significant predictors of listening comprehension in the low listening ability group.

scholarly journals Pathways Into Literacy: The Role of Early Oral Language Abilities and Family Risk for Dyslexia

2018 ◽  
Vol 29 (3) ◽  
pp. 418-428 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sietske van Viersen ◽  
Elise H. de Bree ◽  
Marjolein Zee ◽  
Ben Maassen ◽  
Aryan van der Leij ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Reading Comprehension ◽  
Oral Language ◽  
Word Reading ◽  
Risk Group ◽  
Family Risk ◽  
Word Decoding ◽  
Language Abilities ◽  
Preliteracy Skills ◽  
Language Measures

The present study investigated the role of early oral language and family risk for dyslexia in the two developmental pathways toward reading comprehension, through word reading and through oral language abilities. The sample contained 237 children (164 at family risk for dyslexia) from the Dutch Dyslexia Program. Longitudinal data were obtained on seven occasions when children were between 4 and 12 years old. The relationship between early oral language ability and reading comprehension at the age of 12 years was mediated by preliteracy skills and word-decoding ability for the first pathway and by later language abilities for the second pathway. Family risk influenced literacy development through its subsequent relations with preliteracy skills, word decoding, and reading comprehension. Although performance on language measures was often lower for the family-risk group than for the no-family-risk group, family risk did not have a specific relation with either early or later oral language abilities.

scholarly journals The Role of Prekindergarten Spanish in Predicting First-Grade English Word Reading Among Dual-Language Learners

2019 ◽  
Vol 62 (6) ◽  
pp. 1755-1774
Author(s):  
Language and Reading Research Conso ◽  
Carol Mesa ◽  
Gloria Yeomans-Maldonado
Keyword(s):  
Language Proficiency ◽  
Oral Language ◽  
Structural Equation ◽  
Word Reading ◽  
First Grade ◽  
English Word ◽  
Literacy Skills ◽  
Equation Modeling ◽  
Language And Literacy

Purpose The purpose of the current study was to examine the role that the 1st language, Spanish, at prekindergarten (pre-K) plays in predicting 2nd language (L2), English, word reading in 1st grade. In addition, it examines the role of conceptual vocabulary in predicting word reading in English. Method As part of a longitudinal study of predictors and models of reading comprehension from pre-K to 3rd grade, 248 children attending preschool programs completed Spanish and English measures in the spring of each academic year. In this article, we report the results of English and Spanish measures of oral language and literacy skills that were administered in pre-K and 4 measures of English word reading that were administered in 1st grade. Results Results from structural equation modeling indicated that Spanish oral language made significant direct and indirect contributions to English oral language and word reading. Further, results supported previous evidence indicating that L2 letter knowledge and L2 oral language proficiency are the strongest predictors of L2 word reading in 1st grade. Discussion Similar to findings with monolingual English-speaking children, results support findings that, in the early stages of reading development, oral language in both 1st language and L2 make a significant and independent contribution to word reading. This study has important implications for the support of oral language skills in Latino preschool children.

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