Mia Dufva:
FOCUS ON BEGINNING FOREIGN LANGUAGE LEARNING On predicting and supporting English literacy learning in Finnish primary school
Centre for Learning Research, University of Turku, FINLAND
Doctoral thesis, University of Turku, Finland
Annales Universitatis Turkuensis B 276
Abstract:
The aim was to examine the processes, prerequisites and connections involved in learning native language (Finnish) and beginning foreign language (English) literacy skills in Finnish primary grades. Both normal reading development and difficulties in foreign language literacy learning were studied. The present study consists of two types of longitudinal research methods, a developmental design (3-year follow-up studies) and an intervention design with a one and a half year follow-up. The studies with developmental designs applied structural equation modelling in the statistical analysis. The aim of Study I was to examine the interconnections between the most essential skills for learning to read in the native language, that is, the developmental relationships between phonological working memory, phonological awareness, word reading, and comprehension skills (both listening and reading comprehension). The participants were 222 Finnish preschoolers, whose skills were assessed annually until grade 2. The most significant predictor of word recognition was phonological awareness. Phonological memory had both a direct effect and an indirect effect (via phonological awareness) on word recognition, but these effects were weak. On the contrary, it had a strong effect on listening comprehension and, therefore, via the strong effects of both listening comprehension and word recognition on reading comprehension, there were significant indirect effects of phonological memory on reading comprehension. Taken together, grade 1 phonological memory and word recognition explained 49 per cent of the variance in grade 2 word recognition, while grade 1 listening comprehension and grade 2 word recognition explained 60 per cent of the variance in grade 2 reading comprehension.
In Study II, the aim was to examine the cross-linguistic influence of native language literacy skills (word reading and reading comprehension) and phonological memory on beginning foreign language proficiency. The participants were 160 Finnish first-graders, whose skills were assessed annually until grade 3. The most significant predictor of English proficiency was native language word recognition, followed by reading comprehension and phonological memory. These skills explained 58 percent of the variance in English proficiency. Therefore, proficiency in native language literacy skills is highly significant for foreign language learning, although the languages differ in their orthographic regularity.
Study III examined the efficiency of an intervention programme developed for promoting at-risk pupils’ skills and knowledge in understanding the structure of the English language. Thus, the aim was to enhance pupils’ skills in English phonological awareness, phonological memory, word reading, and spelling. The participants were 24 fourth-graders (total sample size was 56) who were randomly assigned to the experimental and control group. The experimental group received 26 hours’ teaching on English phonological awareness and grapheme- phoneme correspondence. The group-level analyses showed a clear development in favour of the experimental group in English phonological memory, word recognition, and spelling. The effect was present not only in post-tests immediately after the intervention programme was finished, but also in delayed tests nine months later. Moreover, case analyses were used to examine the effect of the intervention on those pupils’ skills whose initial English proficiency was low. To conclude, it is possible to enhance at-risk pupils’ English proficiency by focusing their attention to the sound structure of the language, and by increasing their phonological awareness and understanding of the phoneme-to-grapheme correspondences of the language.
The role of phonological memory in native language and foreign language learning, as well as the importance of native language reading skills in the beginning phase of foreign language learning are discussed. Moreover, the diagnosis, prevention and remediation of beginning learning difficulties in foreign language are considered.