Minding the gaps: literacy enhances lexical segmentation in children learning to read

2017 ◽  
Vol 44 (6) ◽  
pp. 1516-1538 ◽  
Author(s):  
NAOMI HAVRON ◽  
INBAL ARNON
Keyword(s):  
Language Learning ◽  
Emergent Literacy ◽  
Literacy Skills ◽  
Linguistic Variables ◽  
Learning To Read ◽  
Early Readers ◽  
Before And After ◽  
Lexical Segmentation ◽  
Multiword Units ◽  
Linguistic Units

AbstractCan emergent literacy impact the size of the linguistic units children attend to? We examined children's ability to segment multiword sequences before and after they learned to read, in order to disentangle the effect of literacy and age on segmentation. We found that early readers were better at segmenting multiword units (after controlling for age, cognitive, and linguistic variables), and that improvement in literacy skills between the two sessions predicted improvement in segmentation abilities. Together, these findings suggest that literacy acquisition, rather than age, enhanced segmentation. We discuss implications for models of language learning.

scholarly journals The Link Between a Set of Tangram-Based Tasks and Chinese and English Reading and Related Skills Among Chinese Kindergarteners

AERA Open ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
pp. 233285841982972
Author(s):  
Simpson W. L. Wong ◽  
Rebecca Wing-yi Cheng ◽  
Bonnie Wing-Yin Chow ◽  
Sandrine Man-Chi Chung
Keyword(s):  
Regression Analysis ◽  
Emergent Literacy ◽  
Reading Skills ◽  
Word Identification ◽  
Literacy Skills ◽  
Learning To Read ◽  
Emergent Literacy Skills ◽  
English Reading ◽  
Visual Domain ◽  
Chinese And English

Learning to read two scripts at a young age is a demanding task. This study aims to develop games for building fundamental code-related emergent literacy skills among biscriptal preschoolers. We developed five games and tested them on a sample of 102 Chinese kindergarteners. The participants were aged 4 to 5 years and were learning English as a second language. The children’s reading skills were measured with a battery of literacy tests as well as estimated by their teachers using a literacy-related behavior checklist. Correlational analysis revealed that the performances of the children in the tangram games were significantly correlated with teachers’ ratings and children’s Raven’s IQ. Further regression analysis confirmed that the tangram hand-copying game predicted unique variances for visual-orthographic skills and word identification abilities in Chinese and English. This study provides valuable evidence regarding the application of tangram games for assessing code-related emergent literacy skills in the visual domain.

scholarly journals Read, speak, sing: Promoting early literacy in the health care setting

2021 ◽  
Vol 26 (3) ◽  
pp. 182-188
Author(s):  
Alyson Shaw
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
Early Literacy ◽  
Emergent Literacy ◽  
Health Care Providers ◽  
Emotional Health ◽  
Literacy Skills ◽  
Care Providers ◽  
Social Emotional ◽  
Book Sharing

Abstract This statement will help health care providers assess and advise on early literacy with families in almost any practice setting. It defines emergent literacy skills, including early language learning and storytelling, and explores the benefits of reading, speaking, and singing with infants and toddlers for both children and caregivers. Book sharing at bedtime and other language-related routines positively affect family, relational, and social-emotional health. Early exposure to any language, when spoken at home, can benefit literacy learning in other languages children may encounter. Specific recommendations for clinicians counselling families on early literacy are included.

Reading between the words: The effect of literacy on second language lexical segmentation

2016 ◽  
Vol 38 (1) ◽  
pp. 127-153 ◽  
Author(s):  
NAOMI HAVRON ◽  
INBAL ARNON
Keyword(s):  
Second Language ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
Language Processing ◽  
Cognitive Abilities ◽  
First Language ◽  
Metalinguistic Awareness ◽  
Learning To Read ◽  
Lexical Segmentation ◽  
Literacy Course ◽  
First Time

ABSTRACTThere is evidence that the ability to segment an utterance into words improves with literacy, yet previous research makes it difficult to disentangle the effect of literacy from that of age or cognitive abilities. We tested the hypothesis that literacy increases lexical segmentation in a second language in a unique sample of adult illiterates learning to read in their second language, controlling for cognitive abilities and using a task that taps language processing rather than only metalinguistic awareness. Participants’ segmentation was correlated with first language reading at the beginning of an intensive literacy course for illiterate adults. At the end of the course, those learning to read for the first time benefited more in terms of their segmentation abilities. We discuss implications for models of second language learning.

scholarly journals The potential benefits of subtitles for enhancing language acquisition and literacy in children

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sharon Black
Keyword(s):  
Language Acquisition ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
Experimental Work ◽  
Literacy Skills ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Official Language ◽  
Learning To Read ◽  
Gaze Behaviour ◽  
Potential Benefits ◽  
Considerable Body

Abstract While a considerable body of experimental work has been conducted since the beginning of the 1980s to study whether subtitles enhance the acquisition of other languages in adults, research of this type investigating subtitles as a tool for enhancing children’s language learning and literacy has received less attention. This study provides an integrative review of existing studies in this area and finds extensive evidence that subtitled AV content can indeed aid the acquisition of other languages in children and adolescents, and that it can moreover enhance the literacy skills of children learning to read in their L1 or the official language of the country in which they live and receive schooling. Recommendations for future research are also made, and it is highlighted that further research using eye tracking to measure children’s gaze behaviour could shed new light on their attention to and processing of subtitled AV content.

scholarly journals Promoting emergent literacy in under-served preschools using environmental print

2021 ◽  
Vol 68 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Lauraine Giacovazzi ◽  
Sharon Moonsamy ◽  
Munyane Mophosho
Keyword(s):  
Emergent Literacy ◽  
Positive Impact ◽  
Intervention Group ◽  
Cost Effective ◽  
Literacy Skills ◽  
Language And Literacy ◽  
Environmental Print ◽  
Emergent Literacy Skills ◽  
Before And After ◽  
Post Test

Background: Children from under-served communities are at risk for delayed spoken language and literacy development. Under-served preschools frequently contend with lack of resources, especially with regard to access to age-appropriate storybooks and/or print resources. Environmental print is a cost-effective material that can be used to stimulate emergent literacy skills. In the context of under-served communities, a collaborative approach and mentorship between preschool teachers and Speech-Language Therapists (SLTs) promote language and literacy development.Objectives: This article’s purpose is two-fold; firstly, to discuss the use of environmental print as a stimulus material to promote emergent literacy in preschoolers in under-served preschools. Secondly, to promote the SLT’s involvement in such education initiatives.Method: A mixed-method, comparative intervention research design, was reported in this article. A pre- and post-test design was employed, with data collected before and after a teacher-based intervention.Results: Participants in the intervention group displayed increased scores on the Concepts About Print (CAP) assessment, participants in the comparison group showed no change in scores using the same assessment over the same time period.Conclusion: A short-term, teacher-based intervention using environmental print with SLT mentoring and collaboration promoted preschool children’s emergent literacy skills. Implications include the value of using environmental print as a teaching material and the positive impact of collaboration between SLTs and teachers to promote emergent literacy in preschool children.

Effects of a Supplemental Spanish Phonological Awareness Intervention on Latinx Preschoolers' Dual Language Emergent Literacy Skills

2020 ◽  
Vol 29 (3) ◽  
pp. 1283-1300
Author(s):  
Xigrid T. Soto ◽  
Andres Crucet-Choi ◽  
Howard Goldstein
Keyword(s):  
At Risk ◽  
Phonological Awareness ◽  
Emergent Literacy ◽  
Language Learners ◽  
Literacy Instruction ◽  
Dual Language ◽  
Literacy Skills ◽  
Dual Language Learners ◽  
Probe Design ◽  
Emergent Literacy Skills

Purpose Preschoolers' phonological awareness (PA) and alphabet knowledge (AK) skills are two of the strongest predictors of future reading. Despite evidence that providing at-risk preschoolers with timely emergent literacy interventions can prevent academic difficulties, there is a scarcity of research focusing on Latinx preschoolers who are dual language learners. Despite evidence of benefits of providing Latinxs with Spanish emergent literacy instruction, few studies include preschoolers. This study examined the effects of a supplemental Spanish PA and AK intervention on the dual emergent literacy skills of at-risk Latinx preschoolers. Method A multiple probe design across four units of instruction evaluated the effects of a Spanish supplemental emergent literacy intervention that explicitly facilitated generalizations to English. Four Latinx preschoolers with limited emergent literacy skills in Spanish and English participated in this study. Bilingual researchers delivered scripted lessons targeting PA and AK skills in individual or small groups for 12–17 weeks. Results Children made large gains as each PA skill was introduced into intervention and generalized the PA skills they learned from Spanish to English. They also improved their English initial sound identification skills, a phonemic awareness task, when instruction was delivered in Spanish but with English words. Children made small to moderate gains in their Spanish letter naming and letter–sound correspondence skills and in generalizing this knowledge to English. Conclusion These findings provide preliminary evidence Latinx preschoolers who are dual language learners benefit from emergent literacy instruction that promotes their bilingual and biliterate development.

Emergent Literacy in Spanish-Speaking Children With Developmental Language Disorder: Preliminary Findings of Delays in Comprehension- and Code-Related Skills

2020 ◽  
Vol 63 (12) ◽  
pp. 4193-4207
Author(s):  
Amy S. Pratt ◽  
John A. Grinstead ◽  
Rebecca J. McCauley
Keyword(s):  
Emergent Literacy ◽  
Language Disorder ◽  
Literacy Skills ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Developmental Language Disorder ◽  
Writing Ability ◽  
Transparent Orthography ◽  
Spanish Speaking ◽  
Phonological Structure ◽  
Name Writing

Purpose This exploratory study describes the emergent literacy skills of children with developmental language disorder (DLD) who speak Spanish, a language with a simple phonological structure and transparent orthography. We examine differences between children with DLD and their typically developing (TD) peers on a battery of emergent literacy measures. Method Participants included 15 monolingual Spanish-speaking children with DLD (who did not present with cognitive difficulties) and 15 TD controls matched for age, gender, and socioeconomic status, ranging in age from 3;10 to 6;6 (years;months; M age = 4;11). All children completed a battery of comprehension-related emergent literacy tasks (narrative retell, print concept knowledge) and code-related emergent literacy tasks (beginning sound, rhyming awareness, alphabet knowledge, and name-writing ability). Results On average, children with DLD performed significantly worse than TD controls on a battery of comprehension- and code-related emergent literacy measures. On all code-related skills except rhyming, children with DLD were more likely than their TD peers to score “at risk.” Conclusions The results suggest some universality in the effect of DLD on reading development. Difficulties with emergent literacy that are widely documented in English-speaking children with DLD were similarly observed in Spanish-speaking children with DLD. Future research should explore long-term reading outcomes in Spanish for children with DLD.

Addressing African American English in Early Literacy Assessment and Instruction

2008 ◽  
Vol 15 (2) ◽  
pp. 54-61 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nicole Patton Terry
Keyword(s):  
African American ◽  
Early Literacy ◽  
American English ◽  
Critical Role ◽  
Literacy Skills ◽  
African American English ◽  
Literacy Assessment ◽  
Learning To Read ◽  
Speech Language Pathologist ◽  
Early Literacy Assessment

Abstract Determining how best to address young children's African American English use in formal literacy assessment and instruction is a challenge. Evidence is not yet available to discern which theory best accounts for the relation between AAE use and literacy skills or to delineate which dialect-informed educational practices are most effective for children in preschool and the primary grades. Nonetheless, consistent observations of an educationally significant relation between AAE use and various early literacy skills suggest that dialect variation should be considered in assessment and instruction practices involving children who are learning to read and write. The speech-language pathologist can play a critical role in instituting such practices in schools.

Functional and structural neural plasticity effects of literacy acquisition in adulthood

2019 ◽  
Vol 30 (2) ◽  
pp. 97-107
Author(s):  
Melanie Boltzmann ◽  
Thomas Münte ◽  
Bahram Mohammadi ◽  
Jascha Rüsseler
Keyword(s):  
Neural Plasticity ◽  
Adult Literacy ◽  
Writing Skills ◽  
Literacy Skills ◽  
Written Language ◽  
Learning To Read ◽  
Workplace Literacy ◽  
Functional Illiteracy ◽  
Brain Changes ◽  
Definition Of

Abstract. In Germany, 7.5 Million individuals between 18 and 64 years are considered to be functionally illiterate (Grotlüschen & Riekmann, 2012). Functional illiterates have only rudimentary literacy skills despite attending school for several years. Although they can use written language to a very limited extent, only few functional illiterates attend literacy courses for adults. In addition, most adult literacy courses primarily aim at promoting basic reading and writing skills. Offers specific to workplace literacy are scarce. This review gives an overview of the definition of functional illiteracy. Afterwards, a specific literacy program (AlphaPlus) and its effectiveness will be presented. The reviewed studies indicate that learning to read in adulthood is associated with structural and functional brain changes.

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