Children With Chinese Dyslexia Acquiring English Literacy: Interaction Between Cognitive Subtypes of Dyslexia and Orthographies

2021 ◽  
pp. 002221942110178
Author(s):  
Shuting Huo ◽  
Ka Chun Wu ◽  
Jianhong Mo ◽  
Jie Wang ◽  
Urs Maurer
Keyword(s):  
Phonemic Awareness ◽  
Reading Fluency ◽  
English Language ◽  
Word Reading ◽  
English Word ◽  
Literacy Skills ◽  
Language Experience ◽  
English Literacy ◽  
Matrix Reasoning ◽  
The Impact

This study investigated the impact of Chinese dyslexia subtypes on English literacy skills (i.e., reading fluency and dictation) in Hong Kong children. Eighty-four Cantonese-speaking children officially diagnosed with dyslexia ( Mage = 103 months) and 48 age-matched typical developing (TD) children were tested. Cluster analysis with performances on Chinese syllable awareness (CSA), Chinese phonemic awareness (CPA), Chinese phonological memory (CPM), Chinese orthographic awareness (COA), and matrix reasoning (MR) yielded three cognitive subtypes: the phonological deficit (PD) subtype, the orthographic deficit (OD) subtype, and the global deficit (GD) subtype. After controlling for English language experience, age, and gender, all three dyslexia subtypes performed significantly worse in English word reading fluency and dictation than TD children. In addition, PD performed worse in English PA; OD performed worse in English OA; and GD performed worse in all English skills except English PM. We compared the level of impairment in literacy between languages and dyslexia subtypes. In word reading fluency, all subtypes experienced less impairment in English than Chinese, while OD showed the largest English advantage. In dictation, only OD showed a significant language effect favoring English. The findings suggest that different subtypes of Chinese dyslexia bear different risks for difficulties in English literacy.

scholarly journals Using Systematic Synthetic Phonics to Accelerate Rural Indigenous Children’s Acquisition of Early Literacy Skills

2020 ◽  
Vol 19 (10) ◽  
pp. 1-18
Author(s):  
Jia Rong Yap ◽  
Mellisa Lee Lee Chin
Keyword(s):  
Early Literacy ◽  
Phonemic Awareness ◽  
Reading Fluency ◽  
English Language ◽  
Literacy Skills ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Early Literacy Skills ◽  
Spelling Ability ◽  
Synthetic Phonics ◽  
Reading And Spelling

Studies focusing on the strategy of phonics in Malaysia have highlighted the insufficiency and ineffectiveness of SBELC phonics training received by teachers, resulting in confusion among them as to what really constitutes effective use of the phonics strategy. On the other hand, systematic synthetic phonics (SSP) has been proven beneficial in accelerating the performance of children in their early literacy. However, few studies have been conducted on English language learners as the majority of those research was focused on native speakers of the English language. Against this background, this article presents a description of a systematic way of teaching phonics that could inform teachers on how the strategy can be optimally utilised to accelerate the performance of students who are possibly at risk of being left behind. It then reports an investigation that compared the efficacy of SSP against SBELC phonics in accelerating the acquisition of early literacy skills with a group of indigenous children residing in the rural parts of Sarawak, Malaysia. Five instruments; (1) productive letter-sound test, (2) free-sound isolation test, (3) reading test, (4) spelling test, and (5) oral-reading fluency test were administered to measure phonemic awareness, decoding, reading, and spelling ability. Data were collected from the pretest and the posttest. The results demonstrate that both groups recorded significant improvement in reading and spelling, but children in the experimental group (SSP) outperformed the control group (SBELC phonics) significantly. Following this, SSP should be implemented in classrooms to help accelerate children’s early reading fluency and spelling ability.

scholarly journals Using phonics to develop the emergent English literacy skills of Spanish learners

2021 ◽  
pp. 111-128
Author(s):  
Sara Isabel Rendón-Romero ◽  
Macarena Navarro-Pablo ◽  
Eduardo García-Jiménez
Keyword(s):  
Treatment Group ◽  
Word Reading ◽  
English Word ◽  
Literacy Skills ◽  
Reading Level ◽  
Early Years ◽  
Post Test ◽  
English Speaking ◽  
English Literacy ◽  
English Speaking World

Phonics is well established in the English-speaking world, but to date it has beenimplemented to only a limited extent in contexts where English is a foreign language.This study aimed to evaluate the appropriateness of phonics for developing literacy skills of Spanishlearners of English. An experimental pre-test – post-test design was used to determine the method’sadded value. The sample consisted of two equivalent groups in a Spanish bilingual state primaryschool, a control and a treatment group, where a phonic method was implemented by the researcher.Data were collected through tests measuring emergent Spanish and English literacy skills. Non-parametric tests and correlations were used for data analysis.The treatment group presented a significant improvement in phonological awareness, naming andletter and pseudo-word reading in the Spanish and English post-test. These 7-year-old childrenattained a level in English literacy skills equivalent to English children aged 5.8. The findings alsosuggested a positive transference of skills between English word reading and Spanish pseudo-wordreading.The present study can serve as a possible proposal to help improve our Spanish bilingual programmesthrough the use of phonics in the early years in order to increase learners’ English reading level.

English as a foreign language spelling development: A longitudinal study

2011 ◽  
Vol 33 (2) ◽  
pp. 343-363 ◽  
Author(s):  
JANINA KAHN-HORWITZ ◽  
RICHARD L. SPARKS ◽  
ZAHAVA GOLDSTEIN
Keyword(s):  
Foreign Language ◽  
Phonemic Awareness ◽  
Fourth Grade ◽  
English Word ◽  
Literacy Skills ◽  
First Year ◽  
Spelling Development ◽  
Word Attack ◽  
English Spelling ◽  
The Impact

ABSTRACTEnglish as a foreign language (EFL) spelling was examined longitudinally three times (4th, 9th, 12th grades) during 9 years of EFL study among Hebrew first language (L1) students. The study examined the impact of L1 literacy variables including phonemic awareness, word attack, and spelling on EFL spelling and the relationship between EFL literacy variables and EFL spelling. Results showed that English spelling measured at earlier points strongly predicted later English spelling. L1 literacy skills measured in fourth grade were more significant than English word recognition in explaining end of ninth grade EFL spelling. Beginning of first year EFL letter knowledge in fourth grade predicted end of first-year EFL spelling. These results show qualitatively different L1 and EFL literacy abilities impacting EFL spelling at 4th, 9th, and 12th grades.

scholarly journals Computer-based Training Programs to Stimulate Learning to Read in French for Newcomer Migrant Children: A Pilot Study

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jean Ecalle ◽  
Jean-Luc Vidalenc ◽  
Annie Magnan
Keyword(s):  
Phonemic Awareness ◽  
Word Reading ◽  
Literacy Skills ◽  
Migrant Children ◽  
Host Countries ◽  
Learning To Read ◽  
Computer Based Training ◽  
Computer Based ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Initial Results

The integration of newcomer migrant children is a vital challenge for host countries. For such children, learning to read in a new language is a prerequisite for the acquisition of knowledge in all academic domains at school. To investigate this issue, two experiments were conducted: one with children who were just at the beginning of learning to read in French and another with children who could already read a few words in French. Two specific software programs were used for each group. Each group was exposed to the same experimental design, which included three assessment sessions, namely two before training to obtain a baseline of scores in different literacy skills and a third after training to examine the impact of 10 hours of training. In Experiment 1, the alphabetic code was stimulated: a significant effect on phonemic awareness was observed. In Experiment 2, the grapho-syllabic processing required to read words was stimulated: a significant effect on word reading was observed. Our initial results show that teachers can improve learning to read in ways tailored to the needs of newcomer migrant children.

Are Reading Interventions for English Language Learners Effective? A Meta-Analysis

2019 ◽  
Vol 52 (3) ◽  
pp. 220-231 ◽  
Author(s):  
Caralyn Ludwig ◽  
Kan Guo ◽  
George K. Georgiou
Keyword(s):  
English Language Learners ◽  
Language Learners ◽  
Reading Fluency ◽  
English Language ◽  
Reading Skills ◽  
Word Reading ◽  
Reading Interventions ◽  
Meta Analysis ◽  
Reading Accuracy ◽  
Positive Effects

Despite concerted efforts to improve the reading skills of English language learners (ELLs), it remains unclear if the interventions they have been receiving produce any positive results. Thus, the purpose of this meta-analysis was to examine how effective reading interventions are in improving ELLs’ reading skills and what factors may influence their effectiveness. Twenty-six studies with reported outcomes for pretest and posttest were selected, and four moderators (group size, intensity of intervention, students’ risk status, and type of intervention) were coded. The results of random-effects analyses showed that the reading interventions had a large effect on ELLs’ reading accuracy ( d = 1.221) and reading fluency ( d = 0.802) and a moderate effect on reading comprehension ( d = 0.499). In addition, for real-word reading accuracy, intervention groups composed of more than five students were less effective than groups composed of two to five students, and longer intervention sessions were less effective than shorter ones. Overall, our findings suggest that reading interventions have positive effects on ELLs’ reading skills, and they should not be delayed until these students have reached a certain level of oral English proficiency.

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.

Exploring EFL Learners' Preferences, Perceived Needs, and Perceptions about Language Learning Strategies

2016 ◽  
Vol 7 (6) ◽  
pp. 1128
Author(s):  
Maryam Alsadat Mortazavi ◽  
Hamed Barjesteh
Keyword(s):  
Language Learning ◽  
Learning Strategies ◽  
English Language ◽  
Language Education ◽  
Language Experience ◽  
Efl Learners ◽  
Perceived Needs ◽  
Academic Level ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
The Impact

This study was to investigate the impact of language experience and academic level on the perceived needs of Iranian undergraduate EFL learners. Two groups of Iranian TEFL female students (freshmen and senior) were compared regarding their preferences, perceived needs and perceptions of different activity types about language learning. To collect data, Sihong's (2007) needs analysis questionnaire for English language needs was utilized. Thirty two freshman and twenty nine senior MA students with the age range of 25-35 were considered as the subject of this study. They were asked to fill out the questionnaire through email and they were given the confidence that the collected data would remain anonymous. Results revealed that there was a significant difference between freshman and senior EFL learners in their preferences, needs and opinions about various types of activities, and various aspects of language education. The findings also revealed that freshmen students required more practice in grammar and pronunciation than vocabulary for them. The most difficult components of language were pronunciation, vocabulary and grammar respectively; however, the senior students reported that vocabulary and grammar were the most difficult component of language skill and pronunciation was the least one.

An Exploration of the Heterogeneous Nature of Reading Comprehension Development in First Grade: The Impact of Word and Meaning Skills

2021 ◽  
pp. 002221942110362
Author(s):  
Emily J. Solari ◽  
Ryan P. Grimm ◽  
Alyssa R. Henry
Keyword(s):  
Reading Comprehension ◽  
Reading Fluency ◽  
Word Reading ◽  
First Grade ◽  
Discrete Groups ◽  
Latent Classes ◽  
Linguistic Comprehension ◽  
Comprehension Development ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Reading Decoding

This exploratory study builds upon extant reading development studies by identifying discrete groups based on reading comprehension trajectories across first grade. The main goal of this study was to enhance the field’s understanding of early reading comprehension development and its underlying subcomponent skills, with the intent of better understanding the development of comprehension in students who display risk for reading difficulties and disabilities. A sample of first-grade readers ( N = 314) were assessed at three timepoints across the first-grade year. These data were utilized to derive empirical latent classes based on reading comprehension performance across the first-grade year. Reading subcomponent skill assessments (phonological awareness, word reading, decoding, linguistic comprehension, and reading fluency), measured in the fall of first grade, were compared across latent classes to examine how they related to growth across the first-grade year. Results suggest that there were four distinct latent classes with differential reading comprehension development, each of which could also be distinguished by the subskill assessments. These findings are presented within the context of the broader reading research base and implications for practice are discussed.

The effects of bilingual education on the English language and literacy outcomes of Chinese-speaking children

2014 ◽  
Vol 17 (1) ◽  
pp. 116-138 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kathleen Hipfner-Boucher ◽  
Katie Lam ◽  
Becky Xi Chen
Keyword(s):  
Bilingual Education ◽  
English Language ◽  
Word Reading ◽  
English Word ◽  
The Other ◽  
French Immersion ◽  
Language Transfer ◽  
Language And Literacy ◽  
Literacy Outcomes ◽  
Cross Language

To evaluate the effects of bilingual education on minority-language children’s English language and literacy outcomes, we compared grade 1 Chinese-speaking Canadian children enrolled in three different instructional programs (French Immersion, Chinese-English Paired Bilingual, English-only). ANCOVA results revealed that the French immersion children outperformed the other two groups on measures of English phonological awareness and word reading and that the bilingual groups were comparable to monolingual English norms on a test of receptive vocabulary. Multiple regression analyses were conducted to examine cross-language transfer of skills. French morphological awareness explained unique variance in English word reading and vocabulary for the French immersion group. For the other two groups, Chinese phonological awareness was significantly related to English word reading. Our results suggest that instruction in French or Chinese does not delay the development of early English language and literacy skills for Chinese-speaking children, as the children may be able to leverage skills from their other language to facilitate their English learning. Keywords: Bilingual education; French immersion; cross-language transfer

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