Promoting foundational linguistic skills for reading development in young Chinese language learners: A 1‐year intervention study

• Published in: Journal of research in reading Vol. 46; no. 3; pp. 247 - 277
• Main Authors: Wong, Yu Ka, Zang, Xuan, Inoue, Tomohiro
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Oxford Wiley 01.08.2023; Wiley Subscription Services, Inc
• Subjects: Chinese; Chinese as a second language; Chinese languages; Chinese orthographic knowledge; Chinese‐as‐a‐second‐language (CSL); Curricula; Decoding; Elementary School Students; Grade 4; Intervention; Knowledge; Language Skills; Listening Comprehension; Literacy; Metalinguistics; Morphology; Orthographic Symbols; Orthography; Program Effectiveness; Reading Comprehension; Reading instruction; Second Language Learning; Second language reading; Second language reading instruction; simple view of reading; Word Recognition
• ISSN: 0141-0423; 1467-9817
• DOI: 10.1111/1467-9817.12423

Background Using a 1‐year longitudinal design, we evaluated the effectiveness of an intervention programme to improve reading attainments among Chinese‐as‐a‐second‐language (CSL) learners. Using the simple view of reading as a theoretical framework, the intervention focused on students' orthographic knowledge, word reading and listening comprehension to facilitate reading comprehension. Method A total of 186 Grade 4 CSL students (mean age = 9.22, SD = 0.56) participated in the study and were grouped into the treatment (N = 96) and control (N = 90) groups. A range of Chinese language and literacy skills were assessed before and after the intervention. Results The path analysis showed that the intervention significantly affected orthographic knowledge, word reading and listening comprehension directly and reading comprehension indirectly through the three componential skills after controlling for nonverbal reasoning, vocabulary and autoregressors. Conclusions The findings suggest that orthographic knowledge, word reading and listening comprehension may be promising targets for instructing young CSL learners. Highlights What is already known about this topic The simple view of reading (SVR) has been successfully adapted as the theoretical underpinning of literacy research and intervention design. SVR has also been widely used in studying literacy development in native‐speaking and Chinese‐as‐a‐second‐language (CSL) learners. Evidence supporting the contribution of orthographic and morphological skills, decoding and linguistic comprehension to Chinese reading development is established. What this paper adds The results supported the effectiveness of the SVR model‐based intervention in promoting orthographic knowledge, word reading and listening comprehension for CSL reading comprehension. Direct treatment effects on Chinese orthographic knowledge and word reading were established, suggesting the usefulness of instruction on orthographic and morphological knowledge for Chinese literacy learning. The significant treatment effect on Chinese oral comprehension skills indicated a close association with metalinguistic skills and considerably affected Chinese literacy. Implications for theory, policy or practice The findings support the usefulness of the SVR model as both a descriptive theoretical model and a prescriptive intervention model for CSL literacy development. CSL curriculum for young learners would have a more balanced curriculum built on a listening comprehension foundation and with due emphasis on Chinese orthography. CSL teachers may consider adopting an explicit and systematic progressive approach to Chinese literacy instruction to promote orthographic and morphological skills for literacy.