scholarly journals Oral Language and Reading Among Bilingual Students Preprint

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
John Marc Goodrich ◽  
Lisa Fitton ◽  
Lauren Thayer
Keyword(s):  
Reading Achievement ◽  
Language Proficiency ◽  
Oral Language ◽  
Reading Ability ◽  
Dual Language ◽  
First Grade ◽  
Vocabulary Knowledge ◽  
Literacy Skill ◽  
Bilingual Children ◽  
English Reading

Understanding factors that influence reading achievement among bilingual children is considerably more complex than it is for monolingual children. Research on dual language development indicates that bilingual children’s oral language abilities are often distributed across languages in varied ways, due to heterogeneity of dual language exposure and input. Consequently, there may be greater variability in the associations between oral language proficiency and reading ability among bilingual children than there is for monolingual children. This study evaluated how vocabulary knowledge and morphosyntactic ability in Spanish and English was associated with English reading achievement among 117 bilingual kindergarten and first grade children in the U.S. using both OLS and quantile regression. Results indicated that although English vocabulary and morphosyntax were both significantly associated with reading achievement, English vocabulary knowledge was most strongly associated with reading at higher quantiles of reading ability. Cross-language analyses indicated that both Spanish vocabulary and morphosyntax made significant contributions to predicting English reading achievement beyond the effects of English oral language. Spanish vocabulary was uniquely predictive of reading at high and low quantiles of English reading, whereas relations between Spanish morphosyntax and English reading did not differ across quantiles. These results were consistent with predictions derived from theoretical models such as the simple view of reading and suggest that Spanish vocabulary knowledge may provide more unique information about children’s underlying capacity for acquiring language and literacy skill than does morphosyntax.

Literacy Screening Among Latino/a and Dual Language Learner Kindergarteners: Predicting First Grade Reading Achievement

2017 ◽  
Vol 56 (3) ◽  
pp. 250-267 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kelly L. Edyburn ◽  
Matthew Quirk ◽  
Erika Felix ◽  
Sruthi Swami ◽  
Ariel Goldstein ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Reading Achievement ◽  
Dual Language ◽  
First Grade ◽  
Language Learner ◽  
Dual Language Learner

The contributions of oral language to English reading outcomes among young bilingual students in the United States

2020 ◽  
pp. 136700692093813
Author(s):  
Becky H Huang ◽  
Lisa M Bedore ◽  
Luping Niu ◽  
Yangting Wang ◽  
Nicole Y Y Wicha
Keyword(s):  
Language Proficiency ◽  
Oral Language ◽  
Language Use ◽  
Frequency Factor ◽  
The United States ◽  
Bilingual Students ◽  
Reading Outcomes ◽  
Oral Language Proficiency ◽  
English Reading ◽  
Reading Frequency

Aims and objectives/purpose/research questions: The current study examined the language-reading relationship for bilingual students in two grade levels (grades 1 and 3) and for two reading outcomes (decoding and comprehension) to understand the contribution of oral language in English reading. The study also explored the potential mediating role of oral language between language use, reading frequency, and reading outcomes. Design/methodology/approach: The study included 60 bilingual students from bilingual households that speak a language other than, or in addition to, English. All participants completed a battery of language and reading assessments and a background survey. Data and analysis: Three separate confirmatory factor analyses were conducted to derive an Oral Language factor (from oral language assessments), a Language Use factor, and a Reading Frequency factor (from survey items). A multivariate regression was conducted to investigate whether the language-reading relationship differed by grade and reading outcome. A multivariate mediation analysis was also conducted to examine whether the Oral Language factor mediates the effect of Language Use and Reading Frequency on reading outcomes. Findings/conclusions: Oral language proficiency significantly predicted both decoding and comprehension for both grades. Oral language also mediated the relationship between reading frequency and reading outcomes. Originality: This study investigates the contributions of oral language in young bilingual students’ English reading outcomes, which is an under-explored topic. Significance/implications: The results demonstrated the importance of oral language proficiency in bilingual students’ reading outcomes. Oral language plays a robust role in not only reading comprehension but also decoding. The study also clarified that the effects of reading frequency on reading outcomes are indirect and mediated via oral language. Improving bilingual students’ oral language proficiency coupled with promoting their reading frequency can help promote their reading outcomes.

Lexical Diversity and Omission Errors as Predictors of Language Ability in the Narratives of Sequential Spanish–English Bilinguals: A Cross-Language Comparison

2013 ◽  
Vol 22 (3) ◽  
pp. 554-565 ◽  
Author(s):  
Peggy F. Jacobson ◽  
Patrick R. Walden
Keyword(s):  
Language Proficiency ◽  
Language Impairment ◽  
Oral Language ◽  
Language Ability ◽  
Bilingual Children ◽  
Lexical Diversity ◽  
Oral Language Proficiency ◽  
Language Status ◽  
Diversity Measures ◽  
Omission Errors

Purpose This study explored the utility of language sample analysis for evaluating language ability in school-age Spanish–English sequential bilingual children. Specifically, the relative potential of lexical diversity and word/morpheme omission as predictors of typical or atypical language status was evaluated. Method Narrative samples were obtained from 48 bilingual children in both of their languages using the suggested narrative retell protocol and coding conventions as per Systematic Analysis of Language Transcripts (SALT; Miller & Iglesias, 2008) software. An additional lexical diversity measure, VocD, was also calculated. A series of logistical hierarchical regressions explored the utility of the number of different words, VocD statistic, and word and morpheme omissions in each language for predicting language status. Results Omission errors turned out to be the best predictors of bilingual language impairment at all ages, and this held true across languages. Although lexical diversity measures did not predict typical or atypical language status, the measures were significantly related to oral language proficiency in English and Spanish. Conclusion The results underscore the significance of omission errors in bilingual language impairment while simultaneously revealing the limitations of lexical diversity measures as indicators of impairment. The relationship between lexical diversity and oral language proficiency highlights the importance of considering relative language proficiency in bilingual assessment.

Relations between vocabulary and executive functions in Spanish–English dual language learners

2017 ◽  
Vol 22 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-14 ◽  
Author(s):  
VRINDA KALIA ◽  
M. PAULA DANERI ◽  
MAKEBA PARRAMORE WILBOURN
Keyword(s):  
Executive Function ◽  
Executive Functions ◽  
Language Learners ◽  
Oral Language ◽  
Dual Language ◽  
Language Immersion ◽  
Dual Language Learners ◽  
Bilingual Children ◽  
Dual Language Immersion ◽  
English Only

The role of dual language exposure in children's cognitive development continues to be debated. The majority of the research with bilingual children in the US has been conducted with children becoming literate in onlyoneof their languages. Dual language learners who are becoming literate in both their languages are acutely understudied. We compared dual language learners (n = 61) in a Spanish–English dual language immersion program to monolingual English speaking children (n = 55) who were in a traditional English only school. Children (kindergarten to 3rdgrade) completed standardized vocabulary tasks and two measures of executive functions. Despite having significantly smaller English vocabularies, the dual language learners outperformed the monolingual children on the executive function measures. Implications for our understanding of the relations between oral language development and executive function in bilingual children are discussed.

Productivity, Fluency, and Grammaticality Measures From Narratives

2007 ◽  
Vol 29 (1) ◽  
pp. 43-53 ◽  
Author(s):  
Janet Tilstra ◽  
Kristen McMaster
Keyword(s):  
Language Proficiency ◽  
Oral Language ◽  
Verbal Fluency ◽  
First Grade ◽  
Criterion Validity ◽  
Third Grade ◽  
Outcome Indicators ◽  
Standardized Protocol ◽  
General Outcome ◽  
Alternate Form Reliability

The purpose of this study was to identify potential general outcome indicators (GOIs) of language proficiency. Brief narratives were elicited from 45 kindergarten, first-grade, and third-grade children using single-picture scenes and a standardized protocol. Measures of language productivity, verbal fluency, and grammaticality were examined for alternate-form reliability and criterion validity. Two verbal fluency measures, total productive words per minute and total number of words per minute, were reliably obtained for students in all grades, demonstrated moderate criterion validity with a standardized oral language measure, and differentiated third-grade students from those in kindergarten and first grade. Additional standards for GOIs are discussed.

scholarly journals Language and Literacy Together: Supporting Grammatical Development in Dual Language Learners With Risk for Language and Learning Difficulties

2020 ◽  
Vol 51 (2) ◽  
pp. 282-297 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lisa M. Bedore ◽  
Elizabeth D. Peña ◽  
Christine Fiestas ◽  
Mirza J. Lugo-Neris
Keyword(s):  
Language Learners ◽  
Oral Language ◽  
Dual Language ◽  
Reading Difficulties ◽  
Intervention Group ◽  
First Grade ◽  
Dual Language Learners ◽  
Early Interventions ◽  
Language And Literacy ◽  
Mean Length Of Utterance

Purpose Early Interventions in Reading (Vaughn et al., 2006), the only literacy intervention with demonstrated effectiveness for U.S. dual language learners, was enhanced to support the development of oral language (vocabulary, grammar, and narrative) and literacy, which we refer to as “Language and Literacy Together.” The primary focus of this study is to understand the extent to which grammatical skills of bilinguals with risk for language and/or reading difficulties improve in the Language and Literacy Together intervention. Method Fifteen first-grade dual language learners with risk for language and/or reading difficulties participated in an enhanced version of Early Interventions in Reading in Spanish. Children completed pre- and postintervention evaluations in Spanish and English, including grammatical testing from the Bilingual English Spanish Oral Screener (Peña et al., 2008) and narrative evaluation Test of Narrative Language story prompts (Gillam & Pearson, 2004; Gillam et al., n.d.). Data from six comparison participants with typical language skills who completed pre- and posttesting demonstrate the stability of the measures. Results The intervention group made gains in English and Spanish as evidenced by significant increases in their cloze and sentence repetition accuracy on the Bilingual English Spanish Oral Screener Morphosyntax subtest. They increased productivity on their narratives in Spanish and English as indexed by mean length of utterance in words but did not make gains in their overall grammaticality. Conclusions Structured intervention that includes an emphasis on grammatical elements in the context of a broader intervention can lead to change in the production of morphosyntax evident in both elicited constructions and narrative productivity as measured by mean length of utterance in words. Additional work is needed to determine if and how cross-linguistic transfer might be achieved for these learners.

Relationship of Visual and Auditory Short-Term Memory to Later Reading Achievement

1980 ◽  
Vol 51 (1) ◽  
pp. 15-18 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert J. Ashmore ◽  
Robert T. Snyder
Keyword(s):  
Reading Achievement ◽  
Visual Memory ◽  
Reading Ability ◽  
Short Term Memory ◽  
Digit Span ◽  
First Grade ◽  
Short Term ◽  
Wide Range Achievement Test ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Bender Gestalt Test

This paper presents evidence that the Snyder/Pope Visual Memory Technique utilizing the Bender-Gestalt Test is a useful predictor of reading ability for first grade children. Subjects were administered the Bender Visual Memory Technique, the Bender-Gestalt Test, and the Digit Span subtest of the WISC-R at the beginning of first grade. The same children were administered the Reading subtest of the Wide Range Achievement Test at the end of first grade. Category scores of the Visual Memory Technique were correlated with the reading achievement results. One category, Rcc (an error-free recall of an error-free original drawing), correlated significantly with later reading ability ( r = .43, p = .01). The Digit Span and reading achievement relationship was not found to be significant. Short-term visual recall is probably highly related to the reading task at Grade 1 and should be assessed when children begin to learn to read. Diagnosticians are encouraged to use the technique with attention to the precision category, Recall correct from correct.

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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