Development of Reading in Grades K–2 in Spanish‐Speaking English‐Language Learners

Abstract

Development of English-and Spanish-reading skills was explored in a sample of 251 Spanishspeaking English-language learners from kindergarten through Grade 2. Word identification and reading comprehension developed at a normal rate based on monolingual norms for Spanishand English-speaking children, but English oral language lagged significantly behind. Four categories of predictor variables were obtained in Spanish in kindergarten and in English in first grade: print knowledge, expressive language (as measured by vocabulary and sentence repetition tasks), phonological awareness, and rapid automatic naming (RAN). Longitudinal regression analyses indicated a modest amount of cross-language transfer from Spanish to English. Hierarchical regression analyses indicated that developing English-language skills (particularly phonological awareness and RAN) mediated the contribution of Spanish-language variables to later reading. Further analyses revealed stronger within-than cross-language associations of expressive language with later reading, suggesting that some variables function cross-linguistically, and others within a particular language. Results suggest that some of the cognitive factors underlying reading disabilities in monolingual children (e.g., phonological awareness and RAN) may be important to an understanding of reading difficulties in bilingual children.

Relationships Between Vocabulary Size, Working Memory, and Phonological Awareness in Spanish-Speaking English Language Learners

“…Manis, Lindsey, and Bailey (2004) identified a methodological concern with such longitudinal research; specifically, such correlations may be mediated by children's increasing English language and literacy development over time. As a result, the first purpose of this study was to examine change in children's PA skills in Spanish and English after a short period of PA instruction presented in Spanish.…”

Early Language and Reading Development of Bilingual Preschoolers From Low-Income Families

“…In a study of 249 Spanish-speaking English-language learners, Lindsey, Manis, and Bailey (2003) administered sound matching and sound categorization tasks in Spanish and English, and found that these abilities in Spanish cooccurred in English and the phonological awareness abilities predicted word-identification skills in the first grade. A follow-up study (Manis, Lindsey, & Bailey, 2004) of these children's emerging literacy skills showed Spanish and English phonological awareness in kindergarten and first grade, respectively, to be predictors of reading ability in the second grade.…”

English Language Learners With Reading Disabilities: A Review of the Literature and the Foundation for a Research Agenda

“…Manis, Lindsey, and Bailey (2004) investigated the effects of early instruction and achievement in Spanish on achievement in English reading. The study employed tests that were designed to measure the same skills in the L1 as tests measuring L2 skills.…”

“…The study employed tests that were designed to measure the same skills in the L1 as tests measuring L2 skills. Manis et al (2004) found that cognitive factors like phonemic awareness and rapid automatized naming (RAN) may be significant factors leading to the prediction of reading difficulties in L2 learners. They found that kindergartners' L1 phonemic awareness and RAN predicted English letter-word identification in the second grade.…”