Socioeconomic Status, Culture, and Reading Comprehension in Immigrant Students

Abstract

Research on reading comprehension in immigrant students is heterogeneous and conflicting. Differences in socioeconomic status and cultural origins are very likely confounds in determining whether differences to native pupils can be attributed to immigrant status. We collected data on 312 Spanish students of Native, of Hispanic origin–therefore with the same family language as native students- and Non-Hispanic origin, while controlling for socioeconomic status, non-verbal reasoning and school membership. We measured reading comprehension, knowledge of syntax, sentence comprehension monitoring, and vocabulary. Differences among groups appeared only in vocabulary and syntax (with poorer performance in the non-Hispanic group), with no differences in reading comprehension. However, regression analyses showed that most of the variability in reading comprehension was predicted by age, socioeconomic status, non-verbal reasoning, and comprehension monitoring. Group membership did not significantly contribute to explain reading comprehension variability. The present study supports the idea that socioeconomically disadvantaged students, both native and immigrants from diverse cultural backgrounds, irrespective of the language of origin, are probably equally at risk of poor reading comprehension.

Predicting Word Reading Deficits Using an App-Based Screening Tool at School Entry

“…Lack of familiarity with the language spoken at school might be another factor that could affect word reading due to underspecified phonological representations or irregular letter-sound correspondence for L2 ( 40 ). Growing up with a primary language (L1) other than that used at school (L2) is usually related to having an immigrant background, including culture-specific home environments related to literacy.…”