From Home to School: Bridging the Literacy Gap in L1 Wolof

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From Home to School: Bridging the Literacy Gap in L1 Wolof FROM HOME TO SCHOOL: BRIDGING THE LITERACY GAP IN L1 WOLOF CHILD LEARNERS OF L2 FRENCH IN SENEGAL by MOUSTAPHA FALL B.A., Beloit College, 2003 M.A., The University of Wisconsin Milwaukee, 2005 A THESIS SUBMITTED IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY in THE FACULTY OF GRADUATE AND POSTDOCTORAL STUDIES (French) THE UNIVERSITY OF BRITISH COLUMBIA (Vancouver) January 2014 © Moustapha Fall, 2014 Abstract The relationship between first language (L1) literacy and second language (L2) learning hasincreasingly become an object of considerable study in the field of Second Language Acquisition. Whilenumerous studieshave been conducted on this issue in situations in which the first and second languages of literacy are related (Spanish and English: Cummins, 2000; Gonzalez, 1979; French and English Cziko, 1978), little research is currently available on how school children who are partially literate in their mother tongue learn an L2 successfully (Wagner, 1998). This research investigates the L2 French phonological awareness, decoding and comprehension skills of two groups of sixty L1 Wolof childlearners of L2 French in Senegal. Prior to learning French, one group developed early literacy skills in Arabic (the Qur’anic group), and the other groupdeveloped no literacy skills in Wolof or Arabic (the Non-Qur’anic group).Combining bothquantitative and qualitative methods, the data were collected through anodd-word-out instrument, a picture-word-identification and association instrument,a readingcomprehension instrument, and a questionnaire, as well as through semi-structured interviews. This research showed thatthe absence of literacy skills in either the mother tongue (Wolof) or Arabic affects learning in L2 French.That is,the Qur’anic group outperformed the Non-Qur’anic group in L2 French decoding skills and reading comprehension, except in the area of L2 phonological awareness where both groups performed at an equal level.The results also identified a strong correlation between earlyliteracy skills developedat home or in Qur’anic schooland later success in decoding and reading a French text at school. ii Preface This dissertation is an original, unpublished and independent work conducted by Moustapha Fall. The doctoral researchinvolved humansubjects;therefore an ethical approval was requested from the Office of Research and Ethics’ Researcher Information Services (RISe) at the University of British Columbia. The Behavioral Research Ethics Board (BREB) unit assessed the methods, risks and benefits associated with this research and found it to be in compliance with RISe’s rules and regulations. An Ethics Certificate of Approval –Minimal Risk(H11-00978) was issued. iii Table of Contents Abstract .......................................................................................................................................... ii Preface ........................................................................................................................................... iii Table of Contents ......................................................................................................................... iv List of Tables ................................................................................................................................ xi List of Figures .............................................................................................................................. xii List of Abbreviations ................................................................................................................. xiii Acknowledgements ......................................................................................................................xv Dedication ................................................................................................................................... xvi Chapter 1: Introduction ................................................................................................................1 1.1 Research background ...................................................................................................... 5 1.2 Research targets ............................................................................................................ 13 1.3 Significance of the thesis .............................................................................................. 15 1.4 Thesis outline ................................................................................................................ 16 1.5 Conclusion .................................................................................................................... 19 Chapter 2: Demographic and socio-linguistic profiles of Senegal ...........................................20 2.1 Demographic profile of Senegal ................................................................................... 20 2.1.1 Brief history of Senegal ............................................................................................ 20 2.1.2 Geography ................................................................................................................. 25 2.1.3 Economy ................................................................................................................... 27 2.1.4 Population ................................................................................................................. 29 2.1.5 Religious communities.............................................................................................. 30 2.2 Socio-linguistic profile of Senegal................................................................................ 34 iv 2.2.1 Ethnolinguistic composition of Senegal ................................................................... 34 2.2.2 Literacy education in Senegal ................................................................................... 38 2.2.3 Linguistic cohabitations ............................................................................................ 42 2.2.3.1 The cohabitation between Arabic and Wolof ................................................... 43 2.2.3.2 The cohabitation between French and Wolof ................................................... 45 2.2.4 The situation of French in post-independence Senegal ............................................ 49 2.2.5 The status of Wolof in post-independence Senegal .................................................. 55 2.3 Conclusion .................................................................................................................... 62 Chapter 3: Literature review ......................................................................................................65 3.1 The debate over bilingualism ........................................................................................ 69 3.2 L1-L2 relationships ....................................................................................................... 71 3.2.1 Cummins’s Developmental Interdependence Hypothesis ........................................ 71 3.2.2 Linguistic transfer L1 and L2 ................................................................................... 72 3.2.2.1 Controversies over the concept of language transfer ........................................ 72 3.3 Research evidence on L1-L2 reading skills .................................................................. 74 3.3.1 L2-reading development ........................................................................................... 75 3.3.2 L1 reading skills transfer to L2 ................................................................................. 79 3.4 Home literacy experience and second language ........................................................... 83 3.4.1 Home literacy and reading ........................................................................................ 84 3.4.2 Decoding skills and reading ...................................................................................... 90 3.4.3 Phonological awareness and reading ........................................................................ 93 3.5 Research evidence on mother tongue education ........................................................... 98 3.5.1 Successful experiments of mother tongue education in Africa .............................. 101 v 3.6 The present research ................................................................................................... 107 3.6.1 Research questions .................................................................................................. 110 3.6.1.1 Research question 1 ........................................................................................ 110 3.6.1.2 Research question 2 ........................................................................................ 110 3.6.1.3 Research question 3 ........................................................................................ 111 3.6.1.4 Research question 4 ........................................................................................ 111 3.6.2 Research hypotheses ............................................................................................... 111 3.6.2.1 Research hypothesis 1 ..................................................................................... 111 3.6.2.2 Research hypothesis 2 ..................................................................................... 112 3.6.2.3 Research hypothesis 3 ....................................................................................
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