scholarly journals Beyond words: An analysis of skills underlying reading and vocabulary acquisition in three foreign languages

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-16
Author(s):  
Madelon van den Boer ◽  
Maaike H. T. Zeguers
Keyword(s):  
Foreign Language ◽  
Cognitive Skills ◽  
Structural Equation ◽  
Reading Skills ◽  
Word Reading ◽  
Literacy Acquisition ◽  
Foreign Languages ◽  
Orthographic Transparency ◽  
Sentence Reading ◽  
End Of Grade

Abstract To capture the complexity of foreign language literacy acquisition, we investigated cognitive skills underlying word reading, sentence reading, word vocabulary and sentence vocabulary in three different foreign languages. Students fluent in Dutch simultaneously acquired three foreign languages that differed in orthographic transparency and writing system (Spanish, French, Chinese). Cognitive skills at the start of literacy acquisition (Grade 7) were longitudinally related to literacy attainment in each of the foreign languages after two years of instruction (end of Grade 8). Structural equation regression models indicated that three areas (word and sentence vocabulary, and sentence reading) related most strongly to verbal and nonverbal intelligence, indicating the involvement of academic skills. For word reading the influence of cognitive skills appeared language specific. Across languages, native reading skills seemed to be employed to varying degrees of efficiency to decipher foreign words, more so for foreign languages with a smaller orthographic distance from the native language.

scholarly journals Un nuevo abordaje en la enseñanza de lenguas extranjeras: el desarrollo de la inteligencia corporal-cenestésica en el marco de la teoría de las inteligencias múltiples / A New Approach to the Teaching of Foreign Languages: the Development of Bodily-Kinesthetic Intelligence within the Framework of the Theory of Multiple Intelligences

2014 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Egisvanda Isys De Almeida Sandes
Keyword(s):  
Foreign Language ◽  
Multiple Intelligences ◽  
Cognitive Skills ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Point Of View ◽  
Foreign Languages ◽  
Development Theory ◽  
Language Class ◽  
Multiple Intelligences Theory ◽  
Theory Of Multiple Intelligences

ABSTRACTThis paper presents a discussion on the development of body expression as a mean of promoting disinhibition, in other words, the perception of one’s own body where there is other people. Consequently, it will produce motivation and promote creativity. In the foreign language classroom it is possible to get to this stage through the development of games, dance and activities that allow contact with the other. Thus, based on some questions raised by the cognitive development theory to treat the study of processes such as language, perception, memory, reasoning and problem solving and some discussion of the multiple intelligences theory of Gardner (1994), specifically about the bodily- kinesthetic intelligence, it is intended to analyze how the wok with body language can help in the development of a student's abilities and encourage his/her creativity and his/her process of acquisition and learning in the classroom, concretely, the foreign language class. In addition to bodily-kinesthetic intelligence, Gardner proposes that each person has at least eight intelligences or cognitive skills which work together, but as autonomous entities that require interaction. The author assumes that all intelligences are equally important, although each person has an intelligence more developed than another, depending on the cultural setting in which he/she is inserted, which may explain, to some extent, why people learn in different ways, according to their skills. However, although all intelligences are equally important, our school system tends to emphasize logical-mathematical intelligence and linguistic intelligence to the point that, in some cases, deny the existence of the others. Therefore, education should be thought from a point of view which considers the different ways of learning and, in the specific case of the teaching and learning of foreign languages, it is important to adopt a "plural approach to cognition", not an "unilateral" one, different from many authors who have treated human development.RESUMENEste trabajo presenta una discusión sobre el desarrollo de la expresión corporal como uno de los medios de fomentar la desinhibición, la percepción del propio cuerpo en el espacio en que están los demás y, consecuentemente, produ-ce la motivación y promueve la creatividad. En la clase de lengua extranjera se puede lograr este desarrollo a través de juegos, danza y actividades que permitan el contacto con el otro. De esa manera, a partir de algunas cuestiones que plantea la teoría del desarrollo cognitivo al tratar del estudio de procesos tales como lenguaje, percepción, memoria, razonamiento y resolución de problema, y de algunas discusiones de la teoría de las inteligencias múltiples de Gardner (1994), específica-mente acerca de la inteligencia corporal-cenestésica, se analizará cómo el trabajo con la expresión corporal puede ayudar en el desarrollo de las capacidades del estudiante y fomentar su creatividad y su proceso de adquisición y de aprendizaje en clase, concretamente, en la clase de lengua extranjera. Además de la inteligencia corporal-cenestésica, Gardner propone que cada persona tiene, por lo menos, ocho inteligencias o habilidades cognitivas más que trabajan juntas, pero como entidades autónomas que requieren interacción. El autor asume que todas las inteligencias son igualmente importantes, aunque cada sujeto presenta una inteligencia más desarrollada que otra según el escenario cultural en el que se inserta, lo que explicaría, en cierta medida, por qué las personas aprenden de diferentes maneras, es decir, de acuerdo con sus habilidades. Sin embar-go, aunque todas las inteligencias son igualmente importantes, nuestro sistema escolar suele enfatizar la inteligencia lógico-matemática y la inteligencia lingüística hasta el punto de, en algunos casos, negar la existencia de las demás. Así, se debe pensar la educación desde un punto de vista que considera las distintas formas de aprender y, en el caso específico de la enseñanza y del aprendizaje de lenguas extranjeras, se debe adoptar un “abordaje plural de la cognición” y no “unilineal” contrario al de muchos autores que trataron el desarrollo humano.

Reading Achievement in Children With Hearing Loss Who Use Listening and Spoken Language: Results and Implications From a 2-Year Study

2020 ◽  
Vol 5 (6) ◽  
pp. 1380-1387 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elaine R. Smolen ◽  
Maria C. Hartman ◽  
Ye Wang
Keyword(s):  
Hearing Loss ◽  
Reading Achievement ◽  
Reading Fluency ◽  
Reading Skills ◽  
Word Reading ◽  
Word Identification ◽  
Spoken Language ◽  
Sentence Reading ◽  
Children With Hearing Loss ◽  
The Average Range

Purpose This longitudinal study explored the reading achievement of children with hearing loss who used listening and spoken language and examined their progress across reading domains over 1 year. Method Sixty-four children with hearing loss enrolled in prekindergarten through third grade in a large listening and spoken language program in the Southwest United States participated. Eight subtests of the Woodcock-Johnson IV Tests of Achievement were administered, and demographic information was collected. The same subtests were administered to 53 of the participants 1 year later. Results The mean subtest standard scores for participants in this study were all within the average range. Participants demonstrated relative strengths in basic reading skills, such as spelling, word and nonword reading, and comprehension of short passages. Relative weaknesses were found in the areas of oral reading and word- and sentence-reading fluency. When the participants were again assessed 1 year later, significant growth was found in their letter–word identification, sentence-reading fluency, and word-reading fluency. Conclusions While children with hearing loss have historically struggled to achieve age-appropriate reading skills in elementary school, the participants in this study achieved mean scores within the average range. Returning participants made more than 1 year's progress in 1 year's time in several areas of reading while enrolled in a specialized program. Clinical and educational implications, including strategies to develop reading fluency, are addressed.

scholarly journals Developing students’ cognitive and communicative skills when learning foreign languages

2019 ◽  
Vol 69 ◽  
pp. 00037
Author(s):  
Helena Tsoupikova ◽  
Margarita Tsyguleva ◽  
Maria Fedorova
Keyword(s):  
Foreign Language ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
Cognitive Skills ◽  
Foreign Language Learning ◽  
Foreign Languages ◽  
Communicative Skills ◽  
Different Types ◽  
Research Findings ◽  
Independent Work ◽  
Development Of Students

The article is devoted to the problem of forming and improving students’ cognitive skills in connection with development of communicative skills. The aim of the article is to study the effects of designing supporting schemes of different types on development of students’ cognitive and communicative skills in the process of learning a foreign language. The authors summarized research findings on regularities of foreign language learning by university students and revealed conditions of enhancing the effectiveness of this process. The authors have justified the necessity and appropriateness of supporting schemes application when teaching foreign languages that are analogues of inner speech universal subject codes. The authors came to the conclusion that one of the most efficient ways to form and develop students’ cognitive and communicative skills is to involve them in self-education, provide them with an appropriate algorithm of conscious and independent work with information, with each stage being constantly self-controlled.

The effects of children’s reading skills and interest on teacher perceptions of children’s skills and individualized support

2015 ◽  
Vol 39 (5) ◽  
pp. 402-412 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eve Kikas ◽  
Gintautas Silinskas ◽  
Piret Soodla
Keyword(s):  
Teacher Perceptions ◽  
Reading Fluency ◽  
Reading Skills ◽  
Word Reading ◽  
Literacy Skills ◽  
Formal Schooling ◽  
End Of Grade ◽  
Children's Reading ◽  
Children’S Reading ◽  
Reading And Spelling

This study examined the effects of children’s reading skills and interest in reading-related tasks on teacher perceptions of children’s literacy skills (reading and spelling) and the respective individualized support for children during the first two years of formal schooling. The participants were 334 children and their classroom teachers. Identical measures were administered at three time points (at the beginning of Grade 1 and at the end of Grades 1 and 2). Children’s reading skills were assessed with the word reading fluency test, and their interest in reading was assessed with self-reports. Also, teachers evaluated each child’s level of reading and spelling skills and reported the level of individual literacy support they provided. The results showed that children’s poor skills in reading at the beginning of Grade 1 were related to both teacher perceptions of children’s skills as being poor and to increased support at the end of Grade 1. In turn, teacher perceptions of children’s skills as being poor at the end of Grade 1 were related to more support at the end of Grade 2. Moreover, children’s reading skills at the beginning of school had an indirect effect via teacher perceptions at the end of Grade 1 on teacher support in Grade 2. The findings underscore the importance of examining the role of teacher perceptions in providing individualized support during literacy activities.

scholarly journals Professional-oriented reading at university: actual issues

2019 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Foreign Language ◽  
Reading Skills ◽  
Foreign Languages ◽  
Scientific Texts ◽  
Written Text ◽  
Convenient Means ◽  
Text Selection ◽  
Different Types ◽  
The Individual

Reading is a universal and convenient means of obtaining the necessary information. Modern students have to read a large number of texts in foreign languages to obtain the necessary informa-tion from various fields of knowledge. A methodological system of studying at an institution of higher education that is unable to give proper reading skills cannot be considered effective and rational one. The purpose of the study is to consider reading as one of the main foreign language teaching strategies at an institution of higher education and determine the most effective types of reading at non-linguistic faculties in the context of reducing classroom hours, as well as, to determine the most appropriate teaching materials for successful realizing students’ reading skills. Reading is one of the receptive types of speech activity since it relies on the perception (recep-tion) of information within a written text. It includes techniques of reading and understanding. Combining two kinds of reading: analytical (based on training texts and performed mainly in classes) and extensive (outside the classroom) is the most effective approach. A training text is one of the main tools for forming and developing students’ reading skills and the ability to process different types of training texts and advances the ability to speak on profession-al-oriented topics. Taking into account the fact that students' knowledge of foreign languages varies widely, the text selection should be guided by one of the didactic principles – the principle of accessibility, which is reflected both in the content of the texts and in the lexical means that convey this content. At university scientific texts should be preferred as training ones, due to their main features, namely, logicality and lack of emotionality. The text, its content and reading strategies, which match the individual abilities of students and the arsenal of their knowledge of both the foreign language and the specialty, are essential means of controlling the student's motivation.

First and foreign language early reading abilities: The influence of musical perception

2018 ◽  
Vol 47 (2) ◽  
pp. 213-224 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maria Gomez-Dominguez ◽  
M. Carmen Fonseca-Mora ◽  
Francisco H. Machancoses
Keyword(s):  
Foreign Language ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
Phonemic Awareness ◽  
Structural Equation ◽  
Reading Skills ◽  
Music Perception ◽  
First Language ◽  
Early Reading ◽  
Early Reading Skills ◽  
Reading Abilities

There is a growing body of literature that recognises how music perception affects first-language learning, but much less is known about its influence on foreign-language reading skills. The purpose of this paper is to examine the effect of music perception abilities on the acquisition of some foreign early reading skills based on their transference from first language. Data for this study were collected from 63 Spanish-speaking English-language learners studying second grade of primary school. We used a music perception test and the Early Grade Reading Assessment battery, which measures early reading skills in both languages. A mediation analysis using structural equation modelling was performed, integrating music perception and letter-sound knowledge, initial sound identification, and familiar word and pseudoword reading in Spanish and English. This research provides new insights into how music perception affects early reading skills in both languages. These findings indicate a transfer of music perception abilities to first-language alphabetic principle, phonemic awareness and word recognition skills that affect foreign language early reading abilities.

scholarly journals Parental Teaching of Reading and Spelling Across the Transition From Kindergarten to Grade 1

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gintautas Silinskas ◽  
Kaisa Aunola ◽  
Marja-Kristiina Lerkkanen ◽  
Saule Raiziene
Keyword(s):  
Reading Skills ◽  
Word Reading ◽  
Skill Levels ◽  
Teaching Of Reading ◽  
Parental Teaching ◽  
Word Spelling ◽  
Good Word ◽  
End Of Grade ◽  
Teaching Time ◽  
Reading And Spelling

We investigated the longitudinal links between parental teaching of reading and spelling and children’s word reading and spelling skills. Data of 244 Lithuanian parent–child dyads were analyzed, who were followed across three time points: end of kindergarten (T1; Mage = 6.88; 116 girls), beginning of Grade 1 (T2), and end of Grade 1 (T3). The children’s word reading and spelling skills were tested, and the parents answered questionnaires on the frequency with which they taught their children reading and spelling. Overall, the results showed that the parents were responsive to their children’s skill levels across the domains of reading and spelling and across time (i.e., the transition from kindergarten to Grade 1 and across Grade 1). However, differences between the domains of reading and spelling were also observed. In particular, in the domain of reading and across the transition from kindergarten to Grade 1, the parents responded to their children’s skill levels by increasing the time spent teaching children with poor word reading skills, and decreasing the teaching time for the children with good word reading skills. In contrast, as spelling skills may require more time to develop, parents maintained similar frequencies of teaching spelling across the transition to Grade 1 for all children, and only parents of good spellers taught less spelling at the end of Grade 1 than parents of children with poor and average word spelling skills.

ORGANIZATION OF FOREIGN LANGUAGES DISTANCE LEARNING COURSE AT HIGH SCHOOL

2021 ◽  
pp. 118-123
Author(s):  
Denysenko I.I. ◽  
Tarasiuk A.M.
Keyword(s):  
High School ◽  
Distance Learning ◽  
Foreign Language ◽  
Language Teaching ◽  
Foreign Language Teaching ◽  
Educational Process ◽  
Foreign Languages ◽  
Full Time ◽  
Technological Basis ◽  
Independent Work

The article is devoted to one of the advanced formats of foreign language teaching at high school, which effectively complements extramural and full-time forms of education – distance learning. The author emphasizes that the quality and effectiveness of foreign languages distance learning athigher educational establishments depends on effectively organized course; the pedagogical skills of teachers, participating in the educational process; the quality of applied methodical content.The main principles of foreign languages distance learning in higher education has been covered, the means of improving the quality and effectiveness of this educational format has been proposed, the key conceptual regulations of foreign languages distance learning has been determined. The article proposes a model for organizing foreign languages distance learning course for future specialists, describes a system to control and monitor the knowledge of all types of speech activities. It is also noted that independent work in the foreign languages distance course at high school should not be passive, but on the contrary, the student should be involved in active cognitive activities, not limited to acquiring foreign language skills, but necessarily includes their practical application; to solve certain communicative tasks in the future professional activity.The article concludes that in the process of organizing the foreign language distance learning course at high school, it is necessary to take into account not only the didactic characteristics and functions of multimedia and telecommunications as a technological basis, but also the conceptual trends of didactic distance learning as a component of modern education. In addition, it is necessary to take into account the specific nature of foreign language teaching in general.Key words: higher educational establishment, distance learning, multimedia means, independent work, information and communicative technologies, Internet, interactive engagement.

TEACHING FOREIGN LANGUAGES AT THIRD-YEAR STUDENTS IN POLAND

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Olena Ivashko
Keyword(s):  
Foreign Language ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
Learning Strategies ◽  
Foreign Language Learning ◽  
Educational Needs ◽  
Foreign Languages ◽  
Language Learning Strategies ◽  
Third Age ◽  
The Third

The article tackles the problem of teaching foreign languages to seniors. The general trends in FL education for the third-age learners are outlined. The institutions in which seniors can study foreign languages in Poland are enumerated. The psychological, physiological, methodological and social peculiarities of teaching a foreign language to the third agers are analyzed. Special emphasis is laid upon educational needs of the Third Age learners. Some language learning strategies which help seniors’ foreign language learning are suggested.

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