ERIC Number: EJ1003466
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2013
Pages: 26
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1523-5882
EISSN: N/A
Should Bilingual Children Learn Reading in Two Languages at the Same Time or in Sequence?
Berens, Melody S.; Kovelman, Ioulia; Petitto, Laura-Ann
Bilingual Research Journal, v36 n1 p35-60 2013
Is it best to learn reading in two languages simultaneously or sequentially? We observed second- and third-grade children in two-way "dual-language learning contexts": (a) 50:50 or Simultaneous dual-language (two languages within same developmental period) and (b) 90:10 or Sequential dual-language (one language, followed gradually by the other). They were compared to matched monolingual English-only children in single-language English schools. Bilinguals (home language was Spanish only, English-only, or Spanish and English in dual-language schools), were tested in both languages, and monolingual children were tested in English using standardized reading and language tasks. Bilinguals in 50:50 programs performed better than bilinguals in 90:10 programs on English Irregular Words and Passage Comprehension tasks, suggesting language and reading facilitation for "underlying grammatical class and linguistic structure" analyses. By contrast, bilinguals in 90:10 programs performed better than bilinguals in the 50:50 programs on English Phonological Awareness and Reading Decoding tasks, suggesting language and reading facilitation for surface "phonological regularity" analysis. Notably, children from English-only homes in dual-language learning contexts performed equally well, or better than, children from monolingual English-only homes in single-language learning contexts. Overall, the findings provide tantalizing evidence that dual-language learning during the same developmental period may provide "bilingual reading advantages". (Contains 2 tables and 3 figures.)
Descriptors: English (Second Language), Phonological Awareness, Bilingualism, Monolingualism, Grade 2, Grade 3, Elementary School Students, Immersion Programs, Second Language Learning, Spanish, Native Language, Language Tests, Standardized Tests, Decoding (Reading), Beginning Reading, Educational Benefits
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Elementary Education; Grade 2; Grade 3
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A