Is L1 Proficiency Transferable to L2 Reading
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CROSS-LANGUAGE TRANSFER OF READING ABILITY: EVIDENCE FROM TAIWANESE NINTH-GRADE ADOLESCENTS A Dissertation by HUI-KAI CHUANG Submitted to the Office of Graduate Studies of Texas A&M University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY May 2010 Major Subject: Curriculum and Instruction CROSS-LANGUAGE TRANSFER OF READING ABILITY: EVIDENCE FROM TAIWANESE NINTH-GRADE ADOLESCENTS A Dissertation by HUI-KAI CHUANG Submitted to the Office of Graduate Studies of Texas A&M University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY Approved by: Co-Chairs of Committee, R. Malatesha Joshi Laurie Q. Dixon Committee Members, Lauren Cifuentes Janet Hammer Head of Department, Dennie Smith May 2010 Major Subject: Curriculum and Instruction iii ABSTRACT Cross-Language Transfer of Reading Ability: Evidence from Taiwanese Ninth-Grade Adolescents. (May 2010) Hui-Kai Chuang, B.S., Chinese Culture University; M.B.A., Western Kentucky University; M.A., Western Kentucky University Co-Chairs of Advisory Committee: Dr. R. Malatesha Joshi Dr. Laurie Q. Dixon The influence of reading ability on cross-language transfer in Mandarin-speaking ninth graders was explored. Each participant’s native language (L1-Mandarin Chinese) and second language (L2-English) were assessed. Although the relationship between L1 and L2 reading ability has been discussed in many previous studies, few studies have examined this relationship among L2 readers whose L1 is sharply different from their L2, who are at the junior-high-school age range, and who are learning English in a setting where English is not used in daily communication (e.g., English as a foreign language). To investigate the role of L1 reading competence in the language reading ability transfer, a reformed public examination, called the Basic Competency Test (BCT), was applied in this study. The 30,000 Taiwanese ninth grade participants, randomly selected from the pool of the national examination involved in a consecutive six-year period, were considered as a whole and then disaggregated into six groups based on the year they took the BCT. iv A preliminary analysis was about reliability coefficients of twelve examinations (six in Mandarin Chinese reading, and six in English reading) used in the present study. Scores from both Mandarin Chinese and English reading comprehension tests were subjected to descriptive, correlational, and regressional analyses. Both correlation and regression analyses revealed congruent results that provided support for the positive influence of Mandarin Chinese reading competence on English reading ability, that is, L2 reading ability is dependent on L1 reading competence. The finding supported the Linguistic Interdependence Hypothesis. In addition, participants’ gender and school district also played statistically significant roles to affect the cross- language transfer of reading ability, whereas the length of time in English exposure had no statistically significant effect on the language reading ability transfer. Thus, cross- language transfer in reading ability was influenced by learners’ L1 reading competence, gender, and school district. This suggested educational policy makers in Taiwan that boost native-Chinese speaking students’ Mandarin knowledge help support the development of English reading ability. Apparently, if students’ L1 reading abilities can be built up more soundly, their L2 reading ability should be easier to acquire. v DEDICATION To my Grandma, Dr. Su-Mei Chiu, a respectable and brave woman. Thank you for all of your love, encouragement, and foresight. You fostered a love for education inside me. Words cannot express how much your gift means to my life. vi ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS There are a number of people to whom I am grateful. I especially express my sincere gratitude to my co-chairs, Dr. R. Malatesha Joshi and Dr. Laurie Q. Dixon, for their endless support, mentorship, and insightful suggestions throughout this research. Their guidance was invaluable throughout the program. I believe that I would not have been able to achieve the completion of this work without their assistance and patience. Thanks also go to the other members of my advisory committee, Dr. Janet Hammer and Dr. Lauren Cifuentes, for their guidance and comments during this study. Words cannot express the appreciation I have for all of you. I will be forever grateful. A special thank you is also extended to my friends, Michelle Chen and Dr. Ker- Sang Chen, who have been conscientious and supportive in helping me to better articulate thoughts throughout the research. They devoted their time and effort in reading and editing my writing. Finally, to my father, Wen-Shiung Chuang, my mother, Yu-Mei Chen, sister, Dr. Hui-Lun Chuang, brother-in-law, Dr. Po-Yaur Hsu, and little nephew, Yuan- Xi Hsu, I express sincere appreciation for their consistent faith in me and emotional support from beginning to end. vii TABLE OF CONTENTS Page ABSTRACT…………………………………………………………………..…………iii DEDICATION…………………………………………………………………..………..v ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS…………………………………………………..………….vi TABLE OF CONTENTS…………………………………………………..…………...vii LIST OF FIGURES…………………………………………………………………..…..x LIST OF TABLES…………………………………………………………………….…xi CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION ......................................................................................... 1 Background ............................................................................................... 3 English Learning Context .................................................................... 4 Orthographic Systems ......................................................................... 7 Statement of Research Problem ................................................................ 8 Purpose of the Study ............................................................................... 12 Research Questions ................................................................................. 12 Significance and Assumption of the Study ............................................. 13 Definition of Terms ................................................................................. 14 II LITERATURE REVIEW ........................................................................... 19 Introduction ............................................................................................ 19 Orthographic Depth Hypothesis ............................................................. 20 Orthographic System in Mandarin Chinese Reading ............................. 23 Chinese Phonetic Symbol Systems .................................................. 30 Orthographic System in English ........................................................... 32 Phonological Processing ................................................................. 33 Orthographic Knowledge ................................................................ 35 Morphological Awareness ............................................................... 36 Linguistic Interdependence Hypothesis ................................................ 39 Transfer of Reading Comprehension Skills between L1 and L2 .......... 40 A Pilot Study of Taiwanese Ninth Graders’ L2 Academic Performance .......................................................................................... 45 Summary ............................................................................................... 46 viii CHAPTER Page III METHODOLOGY ..................................................................................... 48 Introduction ......................................................................................... 48 Participants .......................................................................................... 52 Instruments .......................................................................................... 60 English Vocabulary and Grammar ................................................. 60 English Reading Comprehension ................................................... 60 Vernacular and Classical Chinese .................................................. 60 Variables .............................................................................................. 61 Outcome Variable ......................................................................... 61 Key Predictor Variable .................................................................. 61 Control Variables .......................................................................... 62 Procedures ........................................................................................... 62 Data Analysis ...................................................................................... 63 Limitation of the Research .................................................................. 65 IV RESULTS .................................................................................................. 67 Preliminary Analyses ........................................................................... 67 Descriptive Statistics ............................................................................ 69 Bivariate Correlation Analyses ............................................................ 75 Relationships between Individual Variables .................................. 75 Partial Correlation between Mandarin and English Reading ......... 79 Linear Regression Analyses ................................................................. 80 Simple Linear Regression Analysis of Cross-Language Prediction in Reading