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Multi-literate experience as a treasure chest for young learners of English as a foreign language

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Abstract

The study aimed to examine the pedagogical implications of the linguistic and orthographic proximity hypothesis. This hypothesis claims that the similarities and differences between first and additional languages and scripts help or hinder the acquisition of literacy in the novel language. In this study we examined the impact of Arabic language and literacy as opposed to Hebrew language and literacy on the acquisition of English basic literacy skills amongst elementary school Arabic L1 speaking versus Hebrew L1 speaking children. All these children are considered emergent bi-, tri- or multi-lingual and literate. A total of 75 fifth grade children participated in the study: 30 Arabic L1 speaking children and 45 Hebrew L1 speaking children. Tests in decoding and spelling various English target conventions were conducted. Arabic L1 speaking children showed an advantage in both decoding and spelling for the short vowel /æ/, the digraph <th>, in decoding of short vowels and in spelling of vowel digraphs thus supporting the linguistic and orthographic proximity hypothesis. There were no significant differences between the two groups on decoding and spelling the silent <e>, which provided a challenge for all participants. As predicted, the phoneme /p/ posed a challenge for spelling for Arabic L1 speaking children. These data provide support for a metaphoric treasure chest consisting of various languages and literacies that children bring into the classroom and which should be considered by teachers. The contents of this treasure chest which are linguistically or orthographically similar to English facilitate its literacy acquisition.

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Notes

  1. This terminology is derived from a definition of emergent bilingual children as children who are at the initial stage of dynamic development of thinking, listening, speaking and literacy skills in two [or more] languages simultaneously or sequentially (Reyes, 2006).

  2. The Ministry of Education in Israel supervises EFL studies in a centralized manner so that there are common goals and benchmarks for all children regardless of their L1. EFL teacher training programs have common characteristics and teachers from different L1 backgrounds study together for undergraduate studies and teaching certification in the respective institutes of higher learning. Text books are approved by the Ministry of Education English Inspectorate and are expected to follow the goals and benchmarks of EFL acquisition. The EFL teachers in both educational contexts in this study were non-native English speakers and they all had a first degree. These aforementioned common features of programs and teacher background assists in diminishing diversity as a result of teacher professional level and text book content.

  3. In personal correspondence with the respective EFL elementary school teachers from both groups in response to a request for details regarding their teaching methods the following information was received. Teachers self-reported that vocabulary acquisition was emphasized. At the start of the first year of EFL instruction (third grade) vocabulary instruction included cognates so that children would recognize that some words in their L1 have a similar phonological form to English. From a literacy perspective teachers taught names of the letters and writing direction. At the start of fourth grade, basic vocabulary was revised and letter sounds were taught together with decoding and spelling whilst emphasizing both phonemic awareness and frequent orthographic conventions. Whole word instruction was included as well. For example, 'the' and 'is' were taught globally. Accurate reading was expected by the fifth grade year when children needed to comprehend texts and initial independent writing was taught. During fifth grade, words that were not easily decoded were learned globally. Teachers continued to teach spelling and understanding of new vocabulary according to themes presented in the chapters of the text book.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Language Teaching, MEd Program, Oranim College of Education, Tivon, Israel

    Mila Schwartz & Janina Kahn-Horwitz

  2. Edmond J. Safra Brain Research Center for the Study of Learning and Learning Disabilities, University of Haifa, Haifa, Israel

    Raphiq Ibrahim & Janina Kahn-Horwitz

  3. Department of Learning Disabilities, University of Haifa, Haifa, Israel

    Raphiq Ibrahim

Authors
  1. Mila Schwartz
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  3. Janina Kahn-Horwitz
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Correspondence to Mila Schwartz.

Appendix: Examples of English orthographic conventions embedded within pseudo-word decoding and spelling

Appendix: Examples of English orthographic conventions embedded within pseudo-word decoding and spelling

Category

Example

1. Consonant digraphs (5 items each)

<th> /ð/, e.g., thull, /θ/, e.g., thib

ch> /ʧ/ e.g., chelf

2. Vowel digraphs (5 items)

<oo> /uː/ e.g., stoon, <ee> /iː/ e.g., jeet

3. Short vowel <a> /æ/ (5 items)

e.g., caft

4. Short vowels (14 items)

<e> /e/, e.g., weth; <i> /I/, e.g., sprit; <o> /ɒ/, e.g., fosh; <u> /ʌ/ e.g., snup

5. Silent <e> (5 items)

e.g., rame

6. Grapheme <p> (8 items)

e.g., fap

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Schwartz, M., Ibrahim, R. & Kahn-Horwitz, J. Multi-literate experience as a treasure chest for young learners of English as a foreign language. Read Writ 29, 1293–1315 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11145-016-9633-0

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