Native language literacy and phonological memory as prerequisites for learning English as a foreign language

1999 ◽  
Vol 20 (3) ◽  
pp. 329-348 ◽  
Author(s):  
MIA DUFVA ◽  
MARINUS J. M. VOETEN

The aim of this study was to examine, with a longitudinal study design, the effects of phonological memory and native language (NL) literacy acquisition on learning English as a foreign language (FL). The subjects were 160 Finnish school children, who were 7-year-old first graders at the beginning of the study. Measures in the first grade were NL word recognition and listening comprehension; in the second grade, word recognition, reading comprehension, and phonological memory; and in the third grade, FL skills. The main result from the structural equation modeling was that both NL literacy and phonological memory have positive effects on FL learning. These skills explained 58% of the variance in English proficiency. Therefore, proficiency in NL literacy skills is highly significant for FL learning, although the orthographic regularity varied a lot (Finnish vs. English). On the basis of the results, it can be concluded that one way to promote FL learning is by diagnosing NL literacy skills early on and by providing training in NL literacy for at-risk children. In addition, the significant role of phonological memory in FL learning suggests that training in the FL phonology may enhance competence in the foreign language.

2019 ◽  
Vol 62 (6) ◽  
pp. 1755-1774
Author(s):  
Language and Reading Research Conso ◽  
Carol Mesa ◽  
Gloria Yeomans-Maldonado

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.


2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Seyed Taghi Heydari ◽  
Leila Zarei ◽  
Ahmad Kalateh Sadati ◽  
Najmeh Moradi ◽  
Maryam Akbari ◽  
...  

Abstract Background The COVID-19 outbreak is a global pandemic, during which the community preventive and protective behaviors play a crucial role in the containment and control of infection. This study was designed to contribute to the existing knowledge on how risk communication (RC) and risk perception (RP) affect protective and preventive behaviors (PPB) during the COVID-19 outbreak. Methods The required data were extracted from a national online survey of Iranian adults aged 15 and older during March 15–19, 2020 (n=3213). Data analysis was performed using structural equation modeling. Results The study findings reveal that RC has direct and indirect positive effects on PB. Furthermore, this study also provides new evidence indicating that RP mediates the relationship between RC and PB and there is a two-way relationship between RC and RP. These interactions may have impact on risk communication strategies which should be adopted during this pandemic. Conclusion The study findings have remarkable implications for informing future communications as well as interventions during this ongoing outbreak and subsequent national risk events.


2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (15) ◽  
pp. 8123
Author(s):  
Delei Yang ◽  
Jun Zhu ◽  
Qingbin Cui ◽  
Qinghua He ◽  
Xian Zheng

Megaproject citizenship behavior (MCB) has been confirmed to a play vital role on megaproject performance. Although current research has argued that institution elements have had an impact on MCB diffusion, limited studies have empirically investigated the distinct effectiveness of various institution elements on driving MCB’s widespread diffusion in construction megaprojects. Based on institution theory, this study proposes a theoretical model comprising institutional elements (i.e., normative and mimetic isomorphism), owner’s support, relationship-based trust, and their effect or impact on MCB’s diffusion. Based on 171 industrial questionnaires collected from managers of contractors and designers in megaprojects. Partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) was used to validate the established model. The results indicated that both normative and mimetic isomorphism have positive effects on facilitating MCB diffusion, and owner’s support has shown partial mediation in promoting MCB diffusion through normative isomorphism, as well as full mediation in the promoting of MCB diffusion through mimetic isomorphism. Meanwhile, relationship-based trust exerts a positive moderating effect on the relationship between mimetic isomorphism and MCB. This study extends current literature on driving MCB diffusion from the perspective of institutional theory, contributing by providing four implications for megaprojects managers to “buy in” more extensive MCB.


2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Junaidi Junaidi ◽  
Ready Wicaksono ◽  
Hamka Hamka

Purpose This paper aims to investigate whether and how religiosity (e.g. extrinsic and intrinsic) influences the mediator variables (consumers’ commitment and materialism) in the Islamic bank consumers context. It also examines how the mediators should be influence consumers’ preferences. Design/methodology/approach In total, 658 Muslim people and Islamic bank consumers were recruited for a survey study and structural equation modeling was used to test the research hypotheses. Findings The empirical results indicate that religiosity (e.g. extrinsic and intrinsic) has significant and positive effects on consumers’ commitment and materialism, whereas intrinsic religiosity has no significant effect on consumers’ commitment which subsequently influences consumers’ preference. Furthermore, mediator variables (e.g. consumers’ commitment and consumers’ materialism) have partial mediators between religiosity and consumers’ preferences. Research limitations/implications The current study was limited to Indonesian Muslim people; there is a future need to study consumers’ attitudes and engagement in religious products and services (e.g. Islamic brands). It is can help practitioners, regulators and researchers to observe the dynamic behavior to elaborate on the impact of religion and Islamic products on consumers’ preference. Practical implications The bank managers and regulators should enhance the information of products and services Islamic banks and the difference principle between conventional banks. Moreover, enlighten the consumers about the principle operation of Islamic banks from the perspective of marketing and religiosity. Originality/value This study contributes to consumers’ behavior literature and, specifically, for the decision-making process through developing and testing a model of religious determinants toward Islamic bank products, as well as offers new insights into the determinants of religion and consumers’ decision process toward Islamic banking.


2018 ◽  
Vol 118 (8) ◽  
pp. 1647-1670 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wangyue Zhou ◽  
Zayyad Tsiga ◽  
Boying Li ◽  
Shuning Zheng ◽  
Shuli Jiang

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to identify antecedents of e-finance continuance intention with Alibaba’s Yu’E Bao as an example. Design/methodology/approach An online questionnaire was used to collect the data (n=293), and partial least squares structural equation modeling was employed for data analysis. Four e-finance features (perceived reputation, website quality, e-finance familiarity and situational normality) are introduced with trust acting as a moderator between the users’ satisfaction and continuance intention to use an e-finance platform. Findings The results find that website quality, familiarity and situational normality can influence perceived ease of use (PEOU) and perceived usefulness (PU). PEOU and PU, together with reputation, are positively associated with confirmation which further leads to satisfaction. The positive effects that satisfaction and trust have on e-finance continuance intention are confirmed, and trust is found to be a significant moderator on the relationship between satisfaction and continuance intention. Practical implications The findings can be used to guide e-finance providers to improve their platform design and services to retain users. Originality/value This study combines the theory of trust, Technology Acceptance Model and Expectations Confirmation Theory to investigate the factors that influence the continuance intention in the context of e-finance in China.


2008 ◽  
Vol 07 (04) ◽  
pp. 219-230 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kwang Sing Ngui ◽  
Peter Songan ◽  
Kian Sam Hong

The current study built and empirically tested a model of the relationships between selected organisational variables, Organisational Learning (OL) capability and performance in the context of small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in Malaysia. Theoretical advances in the OL domain have been based on the experiences of large organisations in the western hemisphere. In response, the study focuses on analysing the OL capability of SMEs in a transitional economy, namely Malaysia. Structural equation modeling was applied to analyse the datasets from 256 manufacturing and services SMEs. Statistical results showed that entrepreneurial orientation and human-capital development practices have direct positive effects on SMEs' OL capability. It was further found that human-capital development practices mediated the relationship between entrepreneurial orientation and OL capability. This implied that while entrepreneurial orientation fosters the need for a strong OL capability, human-capital development practices serve as the mechanisms for developing such capability. Lastly, empirical evidence was provided to support the notion that OL capability enhances the performance of SMEs.


2018 ◽  
Vol 43 (3) ◽  
pp. 395-415 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yu-Shan (Sandy) Huang ◽  
Yao-Chin Wang ◽  
Pei-Jou Kuo

Face plays a key role in guiding consumers’ consumptions in social settings. The purpose of this research is to understand how the desire to gain face and the fear to lose face affect consumers’ self-brand congruence and brand advocate behaviors toward their favorite restaurant brands. Using structural equation modeling to analyze the survey data, the results indicated (1) that ideal-self attainability encouraged the desire to gain face while discouraging the fear to lose face, (2) that the desire to gain face exerted positive effects on positive word-of-mouth and negative avoidance through actual self-brand congruence, and (3) that the fear to lose face exerted negative effects on positive word-of-mouth through actual self-brand congruence.


2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Hamideh Shiri-Mohammadabad ◽  
Seyed Alireza Afshani

Abstract Background Research on factors affecting self-care is scarce. The social factors, in particular, have not been yet investigated in Iran. Therefore, the present study aimed to investigate the relationship between self-care and social capital among women. Methods The participants were 737 women who were living in the marginal, middle and upper areas in the city of Yazd, Iran. Data were collected using a researcher-made self-care questionnaire and Harper’s (Off Natl Stat 11:2019, 2019) Social Capital Scale. The data were analyzed using structural equation modeling by SPSS and Amos v24. Results The results showed that the social capital had significant positive effects on the general self-care behavior of the participants (β = 0.56, p < 0.001). It also had significant positive effects on the self-care behavior of women living in the marginal (β = 0.58), middle (β = 0.49) and upper (β = 0.62) parts of the city (p < 0.001). Besides, the women living in the marginal parts had relatively lower levels of self-care compared to those living in the middle and upper parts of the city. The examination of the fit indices indicated that the model has a good fit (CMIN/DF = 2.087, NFI = 0.921, RMSEA = 0.027, CFI = 0.956, TLI = 0.940, GFI = 0.956, IFI = 0.957). Conclusion The findings of this study demonstrated that social capital has significant positive effects on the general self-care behavior of women. Therefore, improving their self-care can be achieved through promoting their social capital.


2018 ◽  
Vol 48 (3) ◽  
pp. 448-466 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sladjana Cabrilo ◽  
Aino Kianto ◽  
Bojana Milic

Purpose In investigating the linkage between intellectual capital (IC) and innovation, it is important not only to explore how IC as a whole is associated with organizations’ innovative performance but also to gain a deep understanding of the role of different IC components (groups of intangibles) in companies’ innovation performance, which is the purpose of this paper in the context of Serbian companies. Design/methodology/approach This research is based on survey data collected from 100 Serbian companies with at least 100 employees during 2014/2015. Six IC components were analyzed (human, structural, internal relational, external relational, renewal and entrepreneurial) in terms of their effect on innovation performance. Analyses were conducted using structural equation modeling and correlation analysis. Findings Findings demonstrate that renewal capital, internal relational capital and structural capital have statistically significant positive effects on overall innovative performance in Serbian companies. Practical implications The outcomes reveal potential and barriers within IC that are crucial to innovation performance in Serbian companies. In this way, this study enables a deeper understanding of intangible drivers of innovation and highlights possibilities to foster intangible innovation potential in Serbian companies. Originality/value As context (economic and cultural) has emerged as a relevant factor in researching IC, this study is original in investigating IC effect on innovation within the Serbian business environment. Additionally, the broad sexpartite taxonomy of IC contributes to a wider understanding of knowledge and its linkages to innovation.


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