Investigating Cognitive and Linguistic Abilities that Influence the Reading Comprehension Skills of Children from Diverse Linguistic Backgrounds

Abstract

This study investigated the influence of cognitive and linguistic skills on the reading comprehension performance of a group of learners from diverse linguistic backgrounds. The study also compared the reading comprehension performance of grade 4 children who entered kindergarten with little or no experience with English (ESL) to that of a group of native English speakers. Examiners administered various tasks of reading, language, and memory to the children in the study (n=480). The sample included three comprehension groups: (1) children with poor comprehension in the absence of word reading difficulties (Poor Comprehenders; PC), (2) children with poor word reading and poor comprehension (Poor word Recognition and comprehenders; PR), and (3) children with good word reading and comprehension abilities (Good Comprehenders; GC). Due to the small sample size of PR reader group, no comparative analyses were conducted. However, the results indicated that within the GC and PC groups there were no differences between the ESL and L1 children on measures of reading and phonological processing. Further, within the GC and PC groups, on measures of syntactic awareness and verbal working memory, the ESL speakers performed at significantly lower levels than the L1 speakers.

Unpacking listening comprehension: the role of vocabulary, morphological awareness, and syntactic knowledge in reading comprehension

“…Although links between syntactic knowledge and reading comprehension have been established for monolingual speakers, less work has been conducted examining the role of syntax in reading comprehension in L2 learners. However, findings from the limited number of studies that have examined the contributions of syntax to reading comprehension among L2 learners are consistent with findings from studies examining these skills in native English speakers (e.g., Lesaux, Lipka, & Siegel, 2006;Lipka & Siegel, 2012). Children who were L2 learners performed worse on syntactic awareness measures than native English speakers (Lesaux et al, 2006).…”

“…However, findings from the limited number of studies that have examined the contributions of syntax to reading comprehension among L2 learners are consistent with findings from studies examining these skills in native English speakers (e.g., Lesaux, Lipka, & Siegel, 2006;Lipka & Siegel, 2012). Children who were L2 learners performed worse on syntactic awareness measures than native English speakers (Lesaux et al, 2006). However, within the groups, poor comprehenders performed worse than good comprehenders (Lipka & Siegel, 2012).…”

Language awareness and language learning

“…In some school contexts, linguistic background could also be a factor. In a recent study, Lesaux, Lipka & Siegel (2006) found that native English-speaking children achieved significantly higher scores on syntactic awareness and verbal working memory than ESL children. Whether this advantage could be partially offset by syntactic awareness training specifically for ESL students remains to be investigated.…”

Toward modeling reading comprehension and reading fluency in English language learners

“…In particular, there is evidence that word-level reading and reading comprehension skills are highly correlated in L2 learners, just as they are in monolinguals (Chiappe, Siegel, & Wade-Woolley, 2002;Lesaux, Lipka, & Siegel, 2006;van Gelderen et al, 2004;Verhoeven, 2000), and that word reading fluency (conceptualized in terms of accuracy and speed) correlates with reading comprehension (e.g., van Gelderen et al, 2004).…”