Vocabulary profiles and reading comprehension in young bilingual children
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.18192/olbiwp.v8i0.2118Keywords:
English language learners (ELLs), reading comprehension, vocabulary knowledge, language dominance, bilingualismAbstract
Strong vocabulary knowledge is important for success in reading comprehension for English language learners (ELLs). The interplay between first (L1) and second language (L2) vocabulary knowledge in L2 English reading comprehension was examined to determine whether ELLs, whose command of L1 and L2 vocabulary varied across languages, differed in English reading comprehension in grades 2 and 4. ELLs (n = 105) were assigned to a bilingual profile group based on their L1 and L2 vocabulary knowledge and in relation to the sample: L1 dominant (strong L1), L2 dominant (strong L2), high balanced (strong in both), or low balanced (compromised in both). Relationships among L1 and L2 (English) vocabulary, nonverbal cognitive ability, word reading, and reading comprehension in English were examined. Results indicated that reading comprehension was related to bilingual profile, and that a three group model better characterized the sample when compared to the four group model that was initially hypothesized. L1 vocabulary was not uniquely predictive of L2 (English) reading comprehension. L2 vocabulary aligned better
with reading comprehension concurrently in grade 2, and longitudinally in grade 4. In support of a common underlying cognitive processes perspective, individual differences in learning vocabulary may be a proxy for
general language learning ability, which supports reading comprehension.
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Cobo-Lewis, A.B., Eilers, R.E., Pearson, B.Z. & Umbel, V.C. (2002). Interdependence of Spanish and English knowledge in language and literacy among bilingual children. In D.K. Oller & R.E. Eilers (Eds.), Language and literacy in bilingual children (pp. 118–132). Clevedon: Multilingual Matters.
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Dunn, L.M., & Dunn, L.M. (1997). Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test—Third Edition [PPVT III]. Circle Pines, MN: American Guidance Service.
Dunn, L.M., Padilla, E.R., Lugo, D.E., & Dunn, L.M. (1986). Test de Vocabulario en Imágenes Peabody–Adaptación Hispanoamericano [TVIP]. Circle Pines, MN: American Guidance Service.
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Geva, E., & Ryan, E.B. (1993). Linguistic and memory correlates of academic skills in first and second languages. Language Learning, 43, 5–42.
Geva, E., &Wiener, J. (2015). Psychological assessment of culturally and linguistically diverse children—A practitioner’s guide. New York: Springer.
Gottardo, A. & Mueller, J. (2009). Are first- and second-language factors related in predicting second-language reading comprehension? A study of Spanish-speaking children acquiring English as a second language from first to second grade. Journal of Educational Psychology, 101, 330–344. doi:10.1037/a0014320
Gough, P.B. & Tunmer,W.E. (1986). Decoding, reading, and reading disability. Remedial and Special Education, 7, 6–10.
Hutchinson, J.M.,Whitely, H.E., Smith, C.D. & Connors, L. (2003). The developmental progression of comprehension-related skills in children learning EAL. Journal of Research in Reading, 26, 19–32.
Lesaux, N.K. & Kieffer, M.J. (2010). Exploring sources of reading comprehension difficulties among language minority learners and their classmates in early adolescence. American Educational Research Journal, 47, 596–632. doi:10.3102/0002831209355469
Lesaux, N.K.,& Siegel, L.S. (2003). The development of reading in children who speak English as a second language. Developmental Psychology, 39, 1005–1019.
Li, T., McBride-Chang, C., Wong, A. & Shu, H. (2012). Longitudinal predictors of spelling and reading comprehension in Chinese as an L1 and English as an L2 in Hong Kong Chinese children. Journal of Educational Psychology, 104, 286–301. doi:10.1037/a0026445
Lu, L., & Lui, M.X. (1998). Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test—Revised—Chinese Version. Taipei: Psychological Publishing.
Manis, F.R., Lindsey, K.A., & Bailey, C.E. (2004). Development of reading in grades K–2 in Spanish-speaking English language learners. Learning Disabilities Research & Practice, 19, 214–224.
Naglieri, J.A. (1985). Matrix Analogies Test—Expanded Form [MAT]. San Antonio, TX: Psychological Corporation.
Neale, M. (1989). Neale Analysis of Reading Ability (NARA). Windsor, ON: National Foundation for Educational Research (NFER)-Nelson.
Proctor, C.P., Carlo, M., August, D., & Snow, C. (2005). Native Spanish-speaking children reading English: Towards a model of comprehension. Journal of Educational Psychology, 97, 246–256.
Proctor, C.P., August, D., Carlo, M.S., & Snow, C. (2006). The intriguing role of Spanish language vocabulary knowledge in predicting English reading comprehension. Journal of Educational Psychology, 98, 159–169.
Proctor, C.P., & Mo, E. (2009). The relationship between cognate awareness and English comprehension among Spanish–English bilingual fourth grade students. TESOL Quarterly, 43, 126–136. doi:10.1002/j.1545-7249.2009.tb00232.x
Ramirez, G., Chen, X., Geva, E., & Kiefer, H. (2010). Morphological awareness in Spanish-speaking English language learners: Within and cross-language effects on word reading. Reading and Writing, 23, 337–358. doi:10.1007/s11145-009-9203-9
Ramírez, G., Chen, X., & Pasquarella, A. (2013). Cross-linguistic transfer of morphological awareness in Spanish-speaking English language learners: The facilitating effect of cognate knowledge. Topics in Language Disorders, 33, 73–92.
Warner, R.M. (2008). Applied statistics: From bivariate through multivariate techniques. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
Wiederholt, J.L., & Bryant, B.R. (2001). Gray Oral Reading Tests: GORT-4. Austin, TX: Pro-Ed.
Woodcock, R. (1987). Woodcock Reading Mastery Test—Revised [WRMT-R]. Circle Pines, MN: American Guidance Service.
Baker, S., Lesaux, N., Jayanthi, M., Dimino, J., Proctor, C.P., Morris, J., Gersten, R., Haymond, K., Kieffer,M.J., Linan-Thompson, S., & Newman-Gonchar, R. (2014). Teaching academic content and literacy to English learners in elementary and middle school (NCEE 2014-4012). Washington, DC: National Center for Education Evaluation and Regional Assistance, Institute of Education Sciences, U.S. Dept. of Education. Available at: ies.ed.gov/ncee/wwc/Docs/PracticeGuide/english_learners_pg_040114.pdf
Bedore, L.M., Peña, E. ., Summers, C.L., Boerger, K.M., Resendiz, M.D., Greene, K., Bohman, T.M., & Gillam, R.B. (2012). The measure matters: Language dominance profiles across measures in Spanish–English bilingual children. Bilingualism: Language and Cognition, 15, 616–629. doi:10.1017/S1366728912000090
Bishop, D.V., & Snowling, M.J. (2004). Developmental dyslexia and specific language impairment: Same or different? Psychological Bulletin, 130, 858–886.
Cobo-Lewis, A.B., Eilers, R.E., Pearson, B.Z. & Umbel, V.C. (2002). Interdependence of Spanish and English knowledge in language and literacy among bilingual children. In D.K. Oller & R.E. Eilers (Eds.), Language and literacy in bilingual children (pp. 118–132). Clevedon: Multilingual Matters.
Cummins, J. (1981). The role of primary language development in promoting educational success for language minority students. In California State Department of Education (Eds.), Schooling and language minority students: A theoretical framework (pp. 3–49). Los Angeles: Evaluation, Dissemination, and Assessment Center, California State University, Los Angeles.
Cummins, J. (2012). The intersection of cognitive and sociocultural factors in the development of reading comprehension among immigrant students. Reading and Writing, 25, 1973–1990.
Droop, M., & Verhoeven, L. (2003). Language proficiency and reading ability in first and second-language learners. Reading Research Quarterly, 38, 78–103.
Dunn, L.M.,&Dunn, L.M. (1981). Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test—Revised [PPVTR]. Circle Pines, MN: American Guidance Service.
Dunn, L.M., & Dunn, L.M. (1997). Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test—Third Edition [PPVT III]. Circle Pines, MN: American Guidance Service.
Dunn, L.M., Padilla, E.R., Lugo, D.E., & Dunn, L.M. (1986). Test de Vocabulario en Imágenes Peabody–Adaptación Hispanoamericano [TVIP]. Circle Pines, MN: American Guidance Service.
Farnia, F., & Geva, E. (2011). Cognitive correlates of vocabulary growth in English language learners. Applied Psycholinguistics, 32, 711–738.
Farnia, F., & Geva, E. (2013). Growth and predictors of change in English language learners’ reading comprehension. Journal of Research in Reading, 36 (4), 389–421.
Fraser, C., Massey-Garrison, A. & Geva, E. (2016). Problems with reading. In B.X. Chen, V. Dronjic, & R. Helms-Park (Eds.), Reading in a second language: Cognitive and psycholinguistic issues (pp. 236–281). New York: Routledge.
Gamst, G., Meyers, L.S., & Guarino, A.J. (2008) Analysis of variance designs: A conceptual and computational approach with SPSS and SAS. New York: Cambridge University Press.
Genesee, F., Geva, E., Dressler, C., & Kamil, M. (2006). Synthesis: Cross-linguistic relationships. In D. August & T. Shanahan (Eds.), Developing literacy in second language learners: Report of the National Literacy Panel on Language-Minority Children and Youth (pp. 153–174). Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum.
Geva, E. (2006). Second-language oral proficiency and second language literacy. In D. August & T. Shanahan (Eds.), Developing literacy in second-language learners: A report of the National Literacy Panel on Language-Minority Children and Youth (pp. 123–139). Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum.
Geva, E. (2014). Introduction: The cross-language transfer journey—A guide to the perplexed. Written Language & Literacy, 17, 1–15. Thematic issue: Crosslinguistic transfer in reading in multilingual contexts—Recent research trends, E. Zaretsky, and M. Schwartz (Eds.). doi:10.1075/wll.17.1.01gev
Geva, E., & Ryan, E.B. (1993). Linguistic and memory correlates of academic skills in first and second languages. Language Learning, 43, 5–42.
Geva, E., &Wiener, J. (2015). Psychological assessment of culturally and linguistically diverse children—A practitioner’s guide. New York: Springer.
Gottardo, A. & Mueller, J. (2009). Are first- and second-language factors related in predicting second-language reading comprehension? A study of Spanish-speaking children acquiring English as a second language from first to second grade. Journal of Educational Psychology, 101, 330–344. doi:10.1037/a0014320
Gough, P.B. & Tunmer,W.E. (1986). Decoding, reading, and reading disability. Remedial and Special Education, 7, 6–10.
Hutchinson, J.M.,Whitely, H.E., Smith, C.D. & Connors, L. (2003). The developmental progression of comprehension-related skills in children learning EAL. Journal of Research in Reading, 26, 19–32.
Lesaux, N.K. & Kieffer, M.J. (2010). Exploring sources of reading comprehension difficulties among language minority learners and their classmates in early adolescence. American Educational Research Journal, 47, 596–632. doi:10.3102/0002831209355469
Lesaux, N.K.,& Siegel, L.S. (2003). The development of reading in children who speak English as a second language. Developmental Psychology, 39, 1005–1019.
Li, T., McBride-Chang, C., Wong, A. & Shu, H. (2012). Longitudinal predictors of spelling and reading comprehension in Chinese as an L1 and English as an L2 in Hong Kong Chinese children. Journal of Educational Psychology, 104, 286–301. doi:10.1037/a0026445
Lu, L., & Lui, M.X. (1998). Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test—Revised—Chinese Version. Taipei: Psychological Publishing.
Manis, F.R., Lindsey, K.A., & Bailey, C.E. (2004). Development of reading in grades K–2 in Spanish-speaking English language learners. Learning Disabilities Research & Practice, 19, 214–224.
Naglieri, J.A. (1985). Matrix Analogies Test—Expanded Form [MAT]. San Antonio, TX: Psychological Corporation.
Neale, M. (1989). Neale Analysis of Reading Ability (NARA). Windsor, ON: National Foundation for Educational Research (NFER)-Nelson.
Proctor, C.P., Carlo, M., August, D., & Snow, C. (2005). Native Spanish-speaking children reading English: Towards a model of comprehension. Journal of Educational Psychology, 97, 246–256.
Proctor, C.P., August, D., Carlo, M.S., & Snow, C. (2006). The intriguing role of Spanish language vocabulary knowledge in predicting English reading comprehension. Journal of Educational Psychology, 98, 159–169.
Proctor, C.P., & Mo, E. (2009). The relationship between cognate awareness and English comprehension among Spanish–English bilingual fourth grade students. TESOL Quarterly, 43, 126–136. doi:10.1002/j.1545-7249.2009.tb00232.x
Ramirez, G., Chen, X., Geva, E., & Kiefer, H. (2010). Morphological awareness in Spanish-speaking English language learners: Within and cross-language effects on word reading. Reading and Writing, 23, 337–358. doi:10.1007/s11145-009-9203-9
Ramírez, G., Chen, X., & Pasquarella, A. (2013). Cross-linguistic transfer of morphological awareness in Spanish-speaking English language learners: The facilitating effect of cognate knowledge. Topics in Language Disorders, 33, 73–92.
Warner, R.M. (2008). Applied statistics: From bivariate through multivariate techniques. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
Wiederholt, J.L., & Bryant, B.R. (2001). Gray Oral Reading Tests: GORT-4. Austin, TX: Pro-Ed.
Woodcock, R. (1987). Woodcock Reading Mastery Test—Revised [WRMT-R]. Circle Pines, MN: American Guidance Service.
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