Native language predictors of foreign language proficiency and foreign language aptitude. 2006

Richard L Sparks, and Jon Patton, and Leonore Ganschow, and Nancy Humbach, and James Javorsky
Education Department, College of Mount St. Joseph, 5701 Delhi Road, Cincinnati, Ohio 45233-1670, USA. richard_sparks@mail.msj.edu

Fifty-four students were tested at specific time intervals over 10 years to determine best native language (NL) predictors of oral and written foreign language (FL) proficiency and FL aptitude. All participants completed two years of Spanish, French, or German. Each was administered measures of NL literacy, oral language, and cognitive ability in elementary school. A measure of FL aptitude was administered at the beginning of ninth grade and FL proficiency was evaluated at the end of the 10th grade. Among the variables, NL literacy measures were the best predictors of FL proficiency, and NL achievement and general (verbal) intelligence were strong predictors of FL aptitude. Results suggest that indices of NL literacy as early as first grade are related to FL proficiency and FL aptitude nine and 10 years later. Findings provide strong support for connections between L1 and L2 skills, and for speculation that "lower level" skills in phonological processing are important for written language development and oral proficiency in a FL.

UI MeSH Term Description Entries
D007360 Intelligence The ability to learn and to deal with new situations and to deal effectively with tasks involving abstractions.
D008297 Male Males
D010700 Phonetics The science or study of speech sounds and their production, transmission, and reception, and their analysis, classification, and transcription. (Random House Unabridged Dictionary, 2d ed) Speech Sounds,Sound, Speech,Sounds, Speech,Speech Sound
D011932 Reading Acquiring information from text.
D002648 Child A person 6 to 12 years of age. An individual 2 to 5 years old is CHILD, PRESCHOOL. Children
D004410 Dyslexia A cognitive disorder characterized by an impaired ability to comprehend written and printed words or phrases despite intact vision. This condition may be developmental or acquired. Developmental dyslexia is marked by reading achievement that falls substantially below that expected given the individual's chronological age, measured intelligence, and age-appropriate education. The disturbance in reading significantly interferes with academic achievement or with activities of daily living that require reading skills. (From DSM-IV) Alexia,Dyslexia, Developmental,Reading Disability, Developmental,Reading Disorder,Reading Disorder, Developmental,Developmental Reading Disorder,Word Blindness,Alexias,Blindness, Word,Blindnesses, Word,Developmental Dyslexia,Developmental Dyslexias,Developmental Reading Disabilities,Developmental Reading Disability,Developmental Reading Disorders,Disabilities, Developmental Reading,Disability, Developmental Reading,Disorder, Developmental Reading,Disorder, Reading,Disorders, Developmental Reading,Disorders, Reading,Dyslexias,Dyslexias, Developmental,Reading Disabilities, Developmental,Reading Disorders,Reading Disorders, Developmental,Word Blindnesses
D005260 Female Females
D005500 Follow-Up Studies Studies in which individuals or populations are followed to assess the outcome of exposures, procedures, or effects of a characteristic, e.g., occurrence of disease. Followup Studies,Follow Up Studies,Follow-Up Study,Followup Study,Studies, Follow-Up,Studies, Followup,Study, Follow-Up,Study, Followup
D006801 Humans Members of the species Homo sapiens. Homo sapiens,Man (Taxonomy),Human,Man, Modern,Modern Man
D000293 Adolescent A person 13 to 18 years of age. Adolescence,Youth,Adolescents,Adolescents, Female,Adolescents, Male,Teenagers,Teens,Adolescent, Female,Adolescent, Male,Female Adolescent,Female Adolescents,Male Adolescent,Male Adolescents,Teen,Teenager,Youths

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