ERIC Number: EJ1219481
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2019
Pages: 13
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0022-2194
EISSN: N/A
Bidirectional Cross-Linguistic Association of Phonological Skills and Reading Comprehension: Evidence from Hong Kong Chinese-English Bilingual Readers
Deng, Qinli; Choi, William; Tong, Xiuli
Journal of Learning Disabilities, v52 n4 p299-311 Jul-Aug 2019
This study examined the roles of first-language (L1) Chinese and second-language (L2) English phonological skills in English and Chinese reading comprehension, respectively, and their association with reading comprehension difficulties among Hong Kong Chinese-English bilingual children. We tested 258 second graders on nonverbal intelligence, working memory, phonological skills, word reading, and reading comprehension, in both Chinese and English. Structural equation modeling analyses revealed that Chinese phonological skills contributed to English reading comprehension both directly and indirectly, through the mediation of English phonological skills and English word reading. In contrast, English phonological skills contributed only indirectly to Chinese reading comprehension through L1 Chinese phonological and word reading skills. Furthermore, poor Chinese readers, poor English readers, and poor readers in both Chinese and English exhibited lower levels of lexical tone awareness than average readers, even after controlling for nonverbal intelligence, word reading, and working memory. Poor Chinese readers outperformed poor English readers and poor readers in both Chinese and English on Chinese segmental phonological awareness, and their performance was comparable to average readers. These findings suggest that both suprasegmental and segmental phonological skills are critical to the development of reading comprehension across L1 Chinese and L2 English in Hong Kong Chinese-English bilingual children.
Descriptors: Native Language, Second Language Learning, Reading Comprehension, English (Second Language), Short Term Memory, Intonation, Reading Difficulties, Grade 2, Elementary School Students, Nonverbal Ability, Language Role, Transfer of Training, Structural Equation Models, Foreign Countries, Phonology, Suprasegmentals, Comparative Analysis, Intelligence Tests, Sino Tibetan Languages, Reading Tests, Phonological Awareness
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Early Childhood Education; Elementary Education; Grade 2; Primary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Hong Kong
Identifiers - Assessments and Surveys: Wechsler Abbreviated Scale of Intelligence; Gates MacGinitie Reading Tests
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A