Hostname: page-component-745bb68f8f-l4dxg Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2025-01-25T01:19:11.279Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Cross-language transfer of phonological awareness in low-income Spanish and English bilingual preschool children

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  23 June 2004

DAVID K. DICKINSON ,
ALLYSSA McCABE ,
NANCY CLARK–CHIARELLI  and
ANNE WOLF
DAVID K. DICKINSON
Affiliation:
Center for Children & Families, Education Development Center
ALLYSSA McCABE
Affiliation:
University of Massachusetts Lowell
NANCY CLARK–CHIARELLI
Affiliation:
Center for Children & Families, Education Development Center
ANNE WOLF
Affiliation:
Center for Children & Families, Education Development Center
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

This study investigated the phonological awareness of low-income Spanish–English bilingual children, because phonological awareness has been found to be an important prerequisite for literacy acquisition and because such children have been identified as at risk for successful literacy acquisition. Our sample included 123 Spanish–English bilingual preschool children (M=49.1 months) attending Head Start programs. Children's receptive vocabulary was assessed using the Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test—3rd Edition and the Test de Vocabulario en Imagines Peabody. We assessed phonological awareness using English and Spanish versions of the Early Phonological Awareness Profile, which includes deletion detection and rhyming tasks. Emergent literacy was assessed in the child's stronger language using the Emergent Literacy Profile, which includes tests of environmental print knowledge, printed word awareness, alphabet knowledge, and early writing. Spring levels of phonological awareness in each language were most strongly related to development of phonological awareness in the other language. Final models accounted for 68% of the variance in spring English and Spanish phonological awareness. Educational implications are discussed.

Type
Articles
Information
Applied Psycholinguistics , Volume 25 , Issue 3 , June 2004 , pp. 323 - 347
Copyright
© 2004 Cambridge University Press

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Adams M. J. 1990. Beginning to read. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press.
Anderson A. B., & Stokes S. J. 1984. Social and institutional influences on the development and practice of literacy. In H. Goelman, A. A. Oberg, & F. Smith (Eds.), Awakening to literacy (pp. 24– 37). London: Heinemann.
August D., & Hakuta K. 1997. Improving schooling for language-minority children: A research agenda. Washington, DC: National Research Council and Institute of Medicine, National Academy Press.
Ball E. W., & Blachman B. A. 1991. Does phoneme segmentation in kindergarten make a difference in early word recognition and developmental spelling? Reading Research Quarterly, 26, 49– 66.Google Scholar
Bialystok E. 1988. Levels of bilingualism and levels of linguistic awareness. Developmental Psychology, 24, 560– 567.Google Scholar
Bialystok E., Majumder S., & Martin M. M. 2003. Developing phonological awareness: Is there a bilingual advantage? Applied Psycholinguistics, 24, 27– 44.Google Scholar
Bowey J. A., & Patel R. K. 1988. Metalinguistic ability and early reading achievement. Applied Psycholinguistics, 9, 367– 384.Google Scholar
Bradley L. 1988. Making connections in learning to read and to spell. Applied Cognitive Psychology, 2, 3– 18.Google Scholar
Bradley L., & Bryant P. E. 1983. Categorizing sounds and learning to read: A causal connection. Nature, 301, 419– 421.Google Scholar
Bravo–Valdivieso L. 1995. A four year follow-up study of low socioeconomic status, Latin American children with reading difficulties. International Journal of Disability, Development, & Education, 42, 189– 202.Google Scholar
Bryant P., MacLean M., & Bradley L. 1990. Rhyme, language, and children's reading. Applied Psycholinguistics, 11, 237– 252.Google Scholar
Bryant P. E., Bradley L. L., MacLean M., & Crossland J. 1989. Nursery rhymes, phonological skills, and reading. Journal of Child Language, 16, 407– 428.Google Scholar
Bryant P. E., MacLean M., Bradley L. L., & Crossland J. 1990. Rhyme and alliteration, phoneme detection, and learning to read. Developmental Psychology, 26, 429– 438.Google Scholar
Bus A. G. 2001. Early book reading experience in the family: A route to literacy development. In S. Neuman & D. Dickinson (Eds.), Handbook for research on early literacy (pp. 179– 191). New York: Guilford Press.
Bus A. G., van Ijzendoorn M. H., & Pellegrini A. D. 1995. Joint book reading makes for success in learning to read: A meta-analysis on intergenerational transmission of literacy. Review of Educational Research, 65, 1– 21.Google Scholar
Byrne B., & Fielding–Barnsley R. 1991. Evaluation of a program to teach phonic awareness to young children. Journal of Educational Psychology, 83, 451– 455.Google Scholar
Campbell R., & Sais E. 1995. Accelerated metalinguistic (phonological) awareness in bilingual children. British Journal of Developmental Psychology, 13, 61– 68.Google Scholar
Carlisle J. F., Beeman M., Davis L. H., & Spharim G. 1999. Relationship of metalinguistic capabilities and reading achievement for children who are becoming bilingual. Applied Psycholinguistics, 20, 459– 478.Google Scholar
Carrillo M. 1994. Development of phonological awareness and reading acquisition: A study in Spanish language. Reading and Writing, 6, 279– 298.Google Scholar
Chaney C. 1992. Language development, metalinguistic skills, and print awareness in 3-year-old children. Applied Psycholinguistics, 13, 485– 514.Google Scholar
Chaney C. 1994. Language development, metalinguistic awareness, and emergent literacy skills of 3-year-old children in relation to social class. Applied Psycholinguistics, 15, 371– 394.Google Scholar
Chaney C. 1998. Preschool language and metalinguistic skills are links to reading success. Applied Psycholinguistics, 19, 433– 446.Google Scholar
Cisero C. A., & Royer J. M. 1995. The development and cross-language transfer of phonological awareness. Contemporary Educational Psychology, 20, 275– 303.Google Scholar
The Condition of Education 2000. 2000. Retrieved from http://www.nces.ed.gov/pubs2000/coe2000/section1/indicator4.html
Cronin V., & Carver P. 1998. Phonological sensitivity, rapid naming, and beginning reading. Applied Psycholinguistics, 19, 447– 462.Google Scholar
Cummins J. 1991. Interdependence of first- and second-language proficiency in bilingual children. In E. Bialystok (Ed.), Language processing in bilingual children. New York: Cambridge University Press.
Denton C. A., Hasbrouck J. E., Weaver L. R., & Riccio C. A. 2000. What do we know about phonological awareness in Spanish? Reading Psychology, 21, 335– 352.Google Scholar
Dickinson D. K. 2000. Current research on bilingual program models and/or best practices. NHSA Dialogue, 3, 345– 351.Google Scholar
Dickinson D. K. 2001a. Large-group and free-play times: Conversational settings supporting language and literacy development. In D. K. Dickinson & P. O. Tabors (Eds.), Beginning literacy with language: Young children learning at home and school (pp. 223– 255). Baltimore, MD: Brookes.
Dickinson D. K. 2001b Putting the pieces together: Impact of preschool on children's language and literacy development in kindergarten. In D. K. Dickinson & P. O. Tabors, (Eds.), Beginning language with literacy: Young children learning at home and school (pp. 257– 288). Baltimore, MD: Brookes.
Dickinson D. K., Bryant D., Peisnmer–Feinberg E., Lambert R., & Wolf A. (1999, April). Phonemic awareness in Head Start children: Relationship to language and literacy and parenting variables. Paper presented at the annual meeting of the Society for Research in Child Development, Albuquerque, NM.
Dickinson D. K., & Chaney C. 1997a. Early Phonological Awareness Profile. Newton, MA: Education Development Center.
Dickinson D. K., & Chaney C. 1997b. Emergent Literacy Profile. Newton, MA: Education Development Center.
Dickinson D. K., & DiGisi L. L. (1998, March). The many rewards of a literacy-rich classroom. Educational Leadership, 55, 23– 26.Google Scholar
Dickinson D. K., & McCabe A. 2003. A framework for examining book reading in early childhood classrooms. In A. van Kleeck, E. B. Bauer, & S. Stahl (Eds.), On reading books to children: Parents and teachers (pp. 95– 113). Hillsdale, NJ: Erlbaum.
Dickinson D. K., McCabe A., Anastasopoulos L., Peisnmer–Feinberg E., & Poe M. D. 2003. The comprehensive language approach to early literacy: The interrelationships among vocabulary, phonological sensitivity, and print knowledge among preschool-aged children.Journal of Educational Psychology, 95, 465– 481.Google Scholar
Dickinson D. K., McCabe A., & Clark–Chiarelli N.(in press). Preschool-based prevention of reading disability: Realities vs. possibilities. In A. Stone & E. Silliman (Eds.), Handbook of learning disabilities. Hillsdale, NJ: Erlbaum.
Dickinson D. K., & Snow C. E. 1987. Interrelationships among prereading and oral language skills in kindergartners from two social classes. Early Childhood Research Quarterly, 2, 1– 25.Google Scholar
Dickinson D. K., & Sprague K. E. 2001. The nature and impact of early childhood care environments on the language and early literacy development of children from low-income families. In S. Neuman & D. Dickinson (Eds.), Handbook for research on early literacy (pp. 263– 280). New York: Guilford Press.
Dickinson D. K., & Tabors P. O. (Eds.). 2001. Beginning language with literacy: Young children learning at home and school. Baltimore, MD: Brookes Publishing.
Dickinson D. K., Tabors P. O., & Roach K. (August, 1996). Contributions of early oral language skills to later reading comprehension. In A. Spinollo & J. Oakhill (Chairs), Thinking about texts: Comprehension and metalinguistic awareness. Symposium conducted at the Third National Head Start Research Conference, Washington, DC.
Donahue P. L., Voekl K. E., Campbell J. R., & Mazzeo J. 1999. The NAEP 1998 Reading Report Card for the Nation and the States, NCES 1999–500. Washington, DC: US Department of Education, Office of Educational Research and Improvement, National Center for Education Statistics.
Dunn L. M., Dunn L. M., & Dunn D. M. 1997. Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test—3rd Edition. Circle Pines, MN: AGS.
Durgunoglu A. Y. 1998. Acquiring literacy in English and Spanish in the United States. In A. Y. Durgunoglu & L. Verhooeven (Eds.), Literacy development in a multilingual context: Cross-cultural perspectives (pp. 135– 145). Mahwah, NJ: Erlbaum.
Durgunoglu A. Y., Nagy W. E., & Hancin–Bhatt B. J. 1993. Cross-language transfer of phonological awareness.Journal of Educational Psychology, 85, 453– 465.Google Scholar
Ehri L. C. 1998. Grapheme–phoneme knowledge is essential for learning to read words in English. In J. L. Metsala & L. C. Ehri (Eds.), Word recognition in beginning literacy (pp. 3– 40). Mahwah, NJ: Erlbaum.
Ehri L. C., & Robbins C. 1992. Beginners need some decoding skill to read words by analogy. Reading Research Quarterly, 27, 12– 26.Google Scholar
Foy J. G., & Mann V. 2003. Home literacy environment and phonological awareness in preschool children: Differential effects for rhyme and phoneme awareness. Applied Psycholinguistics, 24, 59– 88.Google Scholar
Galambos S., & Hakuta K. 1988. Subject-specific and task-specific characteristics of metalinguistic awareness in bilingual children. Applied Psycholinguistics, 9, 141– 162.Google Scholar
Geva E., & Wade–Woolley L. 1998. Component processes in becoming English–Hebrew biliterate. In A. Y. Durgunoglu & L. Verhoeven (Eds.), Literacy development in a multilingual context (pp. 85– 110). Mahwah, NJ: Erlbaum.
Goswami U. 2001. Early phonological development and the acquisition of literacy. In S. Neuman & D. Dickinson (Eds.), Handbook for research on early literacy (pp. 111– 125). New York: Guilford Press.
Head Start fact sheet. 1999. Retrieved from http://www2.acf.dhhs.gov/programs/hsb/research/99_hsfs.htm
Ianco–Worrall A. 1972. Bilingualism and cognitive development. Child Development, 43, 1390– 1400.Google Scholar
Jorm A. F., Share D. L., MacLean R., & Matthews R. 1984. Phonological recoding skills and learning to read: A longitudinal study. Applied Psycholinguistics, 5, 201– 207.Google Scholar
Juel C. 1988. Learning to read and write: A longitudinal study of fifty-four children from first through fourth grade. Journal of Educational Psychology, 80, 437– 447.Google Scholar
Juel C., Griffith P., & Gough P. 1986. Acquisition of literacy: A longitudinal study of children in first and second grade. Journal of Educational Psychology, 78, 243– 255.Google Scholar
Kolinsky R., Cary L., & Morais J. 1987. Awareness of words as phonological entities: The role of literacy. Applied Psycholinguistics, 8, 223– 232.Google Scholar
Layzer J. I., Goodson B. D., & Moss M. 1993. Life in preschool: Vol. 1. Final Report to the U.S. Department of Education. Washington, DC: Abt Associates.
Liow S. J. R., & Poon K. K. L. 1998. Phonological awareness in multilingual Chinese children. Applied Psycholinguistics, 19, 339– 362.Google Scholar
Lundberg I., Frost J., & Petersen O. 1988. Effects of an extensive program for stimulating phonological awareness in preschool children. Reading Research Quarterly, 23, 263– 285.Google Scholar
MacLean M., Bryant P., & Bradley L. 1987. Rhymes, nursery rhymes, and reading in early childhood. Merrill–Palmer Quarterly, 33, 255– 282.Google Scholar
Malakoff M., & Hakuta K. 1991. Translation skill and metalinguistic awareness in bilinguals. In E. Bialystok (Ed.), Language processing in bilingual children (pp. 141– 166). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Masonheimer P., Drum P., & Ehri L. 1984. Does environmental print identification lead children into word reading? Journal of Reading Behavior, 16, 257– 272.Google Scholar
McGuinness D., McGuinness C., & Donohue J. 1995. Phonological training and the alphabet principle: Evidence for reciprocal causality. Reading Research Quarterly, 30, 830– 852.Google Scholar
Metsala J. L. 1999. Young children's phonological awareness and nonword repetition as a function of vocabulary development. Journal of Educational Psychology, 91, 3– 19.Google Scholar
New England Research Center on Head Start Quality. (1998, July). Quarterly progress report. Newton, MA: Education Development Center.
NICHD. 2000. The relation of child care to cognition and language development. Child Development, 71, 958– 978.
NICHD. 2002. Early child care and children's development prior to school entry: Results from the NICHD study of early child care. American Educational Research Journal, 39, 133– 164.
Oller D. K., Cobo–Lewis A. B., &Eilers R. E. 1998. Phonological translation in bilingual and monolingual children. Applied Psycholinguistics, 19, 259– 278.Google Scholar
Peisnmer–Feinberg E. S., Burchinal M. R., Clifford R. M., Culkin M. L., Howes C., Kagan S. L., & Yazejian N. 2001. The relation of preschool quality to children's cognitive and social developmental trajectories through second grade. Child Development, 72, 1534– 1553.Google Scholar
Read C., Zhang Y., Nie H., & Ding B. 1986. The ability to manipulate speech sounds depends on knowing alphabetic writing. Cognition, 24, 31– 44.Google Scholar
Reese L., Garnier H., Gallimore R., & Goldenberg C. 2000. Longitudinal analysis of the antecedents of emergent Spanish literacy and middle-school English reading achievement of Spanish-speaking students. American Educational Research Journal, 37, 633– 662.Google Scholar
Share D., Jorm A., MacLean R., & Matthews R. 1984. Sources of individual differences in reading achievement. Journal of Educational Psychology, 76, 1309– 1324.Google Scholar
Siegel L. S. 1998. Phonological processing deficits and reading disabilities. In J. L. Metsala & L. C. Ehri (Eds.), Word recognition in beginning literacy (pp. 141– 161). Mahwah, NJ: Erlbaum.
Snow C. E., Burns M. S., & Griffin P. (Eds.). 1998. Preventing reading difficulties in young children. Washington, DC: National Research Council, National Academy Press.
Speece D. L., Roth F. P., Cooper D. H., & de la Paz S. 1999. The relevance of oral language skills to early literacy: A multivariate analysis. Applied Psycholinguistics, 20, 167– 190.Google Scholar
Stanovich K. E. 1986. Matthew effects in reading: Some consequences of individual differences in the acquisition of literacy. Reading Research Quarterly, 21, 360– 407.Google Scholar
Stanovich K. E. 1992. Speculations on the causes and consequences of individual differences in early reading acquisition. In P. B. Gough, L. C. Ehri, & R. Treiman (Eds.), Reading acquisition (pp. 307– 342). Hillsdale, NJ: Erlbaum.
Torgesen J. K., & Burgess S. R. 1998. In J. L. Metsala & L. C. Ehri (Eds.), Word recognition in beginning literacy (pp. 161– 188). Mahwah, NJ: Erlbaum.
Tunmer W. E., Herriman M. L., & Nesdale A. R. 1988. Metalinguistic abilities and beginning reading. Reading Research Quarterly, 23, 134– 158.Google Scholar
US Bureau of the Census. 1993. The hispanic population in the United States: March 1993. Washington, DC: US Government Printing Office.
Vellutino F. R., & Scanlon D. M. 2001. Emergent literacy skills, early instruction, and individual differences as determinants of difficulties in learning to read: The case for early intervention. In S. Neuman & D. Dickinson (Eds.), Handbook for research on early literacy (pp. 295– 321). New York: Guilford Press.
Vernon S. A., & Ferreiro E. 1999. Writing development: A neglected variable in the consideration of phonological awareness. Harvard Educational Review, 69, 395– 415.Google Scholar
Wagner R. K., & Torgesen J. K., 1987. The nature of phonological processing and its causal role in the acquisition of reading skills. Psychological Bulletin, 101, 192– 212.Google Scholar
Wagner R. K., Torgesen J. K., Laughon P., Simmons K., & Rashotte C. A. 1993. Development of young readers' phonological processing abilities. Journal of Educational Psychology, 85, 83– 103.Google Scholar
Wagner R. K., Torgesen J. K., & Rashotte C. A. 1994. The development of reading-related phonological processing abilities: New evidence of bi-directional causality from a latent variable longitudinal study. Developmental Psychology, 30, 73– 87.Google Scholar
Wagner R. K., Torgesen J. K., Rashotte C. A., Hecht S. A., Barker T. A., Burgess S. R., Donahue J., & Garon T., 1997. Changing relations between phonological processing abilities and word-level reading as children develop from beginning to skilled readers: A 5-year longitudinal study. Developmental Psychology, 33, 468– 479.Google Scholar
Wallach L., Wallach M. S., Dozier M. G., & Kaplan N. W. 1977. Poor children learning to read do not have trouble with auditory discrimination but do have trouble with phoneme recognition. Journal of Educational Psychology, 69, 36– 39.Google Scholar
Warren–Leubecker A., & Carter B. W. 1988. Reading and growth in metalinguistic awareness: Relations to socio-economic status and reading readiness skills. Child Development, 59, 728– 742.Google Scholar
Wechsler D. 1974. Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children—Revised. New York: Psychological Corporation.
Whitehurst G. J., Falco F., Lonigan C. J., Fischel J. E., DeBaryshe B. D., Valdez–Menchaca M. C., & Caulfield M. 1988. Accelerating language development through picture-book reading. Developmenetal Psychology, 24, 552– 558.Google Scholar
Whitehurst G. J., & Lonigan C. J. 2001. Emergent literacy: Development from pre-readers to readers. In S. Neuman & D. Dickinson (Eds.), Handbook for research on early literacy (pp. 11– 29). New York: Guilford Press.
Woodcock R. W. 1987. Woodcock Reading Mastery Tests—Revised. Circle Pines, MN: American Guidance Services.
Yeung A. S., Marsh H. W., & Suliman R. 2000. Can two tongues live in harmony: Analysis of the National Education Longitudinal Study of 1988 (NELS88) longitudinal data on the maintenance of home language. American Educational Research Journal, 37, 1001– 1026.Google Scholar
Zill N., Collins M., West J., & Hausken E. G. 1995. Approaching kindergarten: A look at preschoolers in the United States. Washington, DC: Office of Educational Research and Improvement, NCES and NHES.