Cognitive Predictors of English Reading Achievement in Chinese English-Immersion Students

Li, Miao; Kirby, John R.; Cheng, Liying; Wade‐Woolley, Lesly; Qiang, Haiyan

doi:10.1080/02702711.2010.528663

Cited by 11 publications

(10 citation statements)

References 49 publications

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“…In order to fully evaluate these EI programmes in China, more data have been collected on immersion teachers in a survey study (Song & Cheng, in press), on their science and social science teaching via classroom observations (Niu, 2008;Zhang, 2009), and on cognitive predictors of English reading achievement (Li, 2008). These findings along with the findings of the present study on students' academic achievement in English, Chinese and mathematics should contribute to a fuller picture of the EI programmes in China and encourage further empirical studies on EI programmes in China.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

English language immersion and students' academic achievement in English, Chinese and mathematics

Cheng

Kirby

et al. 2010

Evaluation & Research in Education

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Research has demonstrated that second language immersion is an effective means of facilitating primary school students' second language without undermining competence in their first language. Despite the rapid growth of English immersion (EI) programmes in China, only limited empirical research has been conducted to evaluate students' academic achievement in these programmes. This study addressed three primary research questions regarding EI students' academic achievement represented by English (L2), Chinese (L1) and mathematics. This study was conducted with a group of Grade 2 (n 0385), Grade 4 (n 0430) and Grade 6 (n 0183) students in immersion or non-immersion programmes in three schools in China. Cambridge Young Learners English Tests were employed as the L2 measure. School-issued achievement tests in L1 (Chinese) and in mathematics were also employed. The results show that immersion students, compared with non-immersion students, did better in English at all three grade levels. They also did similarly in Chinese and mathematics at Grades 2 and 4, but better at Grade 6. The findings from this evaluation study demonstrate a complex and developmental picture of students' academic achievement in English, Chinese and mathematics.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

English language immersion and students' academic achievement in English, Chinese and mathematics

Cheng

Kirby

et al. 2010

Evaluation & Research in Education

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“…A series of studies conducted by Li and her colleagues (Cheng et al 2010; Li, Kirby & Georgiou 2011; Cheng 2012; Li et al 2012a, 2012b) was part of evaluation research on Chinese-English bilingual programs in the China-Canada-United States English Immersion (CCUEI) projects; the studies were all based on the same data set from three immersion programs in mainland China. Li et al (2012b) examined the effect of PA and naming speed (also known as rapid automatized naming [RAN]) in Chinese and English on English ‘reading comprehension’ (measured by the total score of Reading and Writing in the Cambridge Young Learners English test [YLE]) among students in Grades 2 and 4 in the immersion programs. PA and naming speed were chosen as critical cognitive predictors of reading.…”

Section: Research On Learning (Relevant To Curriculum Policy)mentioning

confidence: 99%

English language education among young learners in East Asia: A review of current research (2004–2014)

Butler

2015

Lang. Teach.

178

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The teaching of foreign languages to young learners is growing in popularity around the world. Research in this field, particularly of English as a second/foreign language education in East Asia, is a relatively new area of empirical inquiry, and it has the potential to make significant contributions to child second-language acquisition (Child-SLA) theory building, research methodologies, and policies in East Asia and beyond. This article reviews relevant peer-reviewed literature on English education among young learners in East Asia (China, Japan, South Korea, and Taiwan). I begin by reviewing policy literature to illustrate the social and policy contexts of early English education, identifying major policy-related concerns. Next, I review empirical studies of English learning and teaching, organizing them by their relevance to the previously identified policy concerns. The article concludes with suggestions for future research.

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“…In cases in which early language learners lag behind later language learners in L1 literacy, these differences usually disappear quickly (Pfenninger and Singleton 2017). Li et al (2012) compared Chinese children participating in an English-Chinese immersion program in primary school with non-immersion students. They found that immersion students outperformed non-immersion peers in phonological awareness, and that English phonological awareness was predictive of English reading comprehension, but no crosslinguistic transfer was found from Chinese phonological awareness to English reading.…”

Section: Crosslinguistic Transfer Between L1 and L2mentioning

confidence: 99%

A burden or a boost: The impact of early childhood English learning experience on lower elementary English and Chinese achievement

Chen

Zhao

Ruiter

et al. 2020

International Journal of Bilingual Education and Bilingualism

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We examined the effect of learning English as a foreign language in early childhood on children's later English and Chinese achievement and attitude toward English learning in mainland China. A total of 892 children were divided into two groups according to whether they had any English learning experience before they entered elementary school. To reduce self-selection bias in children's early English learning experience, we employed propensity score matching (PSM) and coarsened exact matching (CEM) techniques and generated balanced samples based on children's demographic, parent-child interactional and socio-economic characteristics. We found that the experience of early childhood English learning alone positively contributed to later English language and Chinese language achievement and also to attitudes toward English learning. The findings provide important evidence that limited exposure to English before elementary school does not harm Chinese learning. They also have educational implications that encourage educators to continue helping students develop genuine interest in English learning and maintain their high level of motivation starting at a very young age.

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Cognitive Predictors of English Reading Achievement in Chinese English-Immersion Students

Cited by 11 publications

References 49 publications

English language immersion and students' academic achievement in English, Chinese and mathematics

English language immersion and students' academic achievement in English, Chinese and mathematics

English language education among young learners in East Asia: A review of current research (2004–2014)

A burden or a boost: The impact of early childhood English learning experience on lower elementary English and Chinese achievement

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