Language difference or difficulty learning? Assessing early language skills to identify risk for reading difficulty among young Spanish-English dual language learners

项目摘要/摘要 教育卫生研究中的一个主要挑战是，没有可靠的方法 在双语学习者(DLL)中识别阅读困难的早期迹象。鉴于识字的价值在于 个人幸福感和及早识别的重要性对于最大限度地促进教育成长，有一个至关重要的 需要优化评估，以在小学早期识别存在阅读困难风险的西班牙语-英语DLL 好几年了。因此，拟议研究的长期目标是建立实用、可靠的方法 早期识别动态链接库中的阅读障碍。代表着朝着这个目标迈出了一步，总体目标 这个项目的目的是确定幼儿园语言和识字前的评估：(1)可靠地预测 西语-英语动态链接库一年后的阅读发展和(2)对动态链接库的识别高度敏感 被归类为一年级有阅读困难的风险。我们假设测量利用多个 语言知识的基本领域将最有力地预测未来的阅读发展，但 早期语言和后期阅读之间的关系在DLL中是不一致的，这取决于双语 接触、使用和早期基于代码的识字技能。我们进一步假设，可转移的度量 语言技能将为预测一年级的阅读难度提供最佳的单项测量辨别力，但 这两种语文的评估对于实现良好的分类准确性是必要的。为了测试这些 假设，有两个具体的目标将被解决。首先，这个项目将确定DLL的英语和 幼儿园语言中的西班牙语技能可以可靠地预测一年级的阅读成绩。第二， 我们将确定双语能力标准化测量的分类功能 在一年级找出有阅读困难风险的西班牙语-英语DLL。为了实现这些目标，孩子们将 完整评估西班牙语和英语词汇知识、词法、早期基于代码的识字能力 幼稚园叙事技巧、叙事宏观结构与叙事微观结构。他们的父母和老师会 还被要求描述孩子们在家庭和学校接触和使用双语的情况 环境。一年后，在一年级期间，孩子们将完成解码和阅读的测量 英语和西班牙语的理解能力。这项工作意义重大，因为早期可靠的识字率预测 困难是防止学生在小学早期落后于同龄人的关键。早些时候 识别可能在学习阅读方面有困难的DLL允许教育工作者分配专门的资源 和个性化教学，以最大限度地提高这些学生的收益。这项工作具有创新性，因为它直接 关注DLL人群的异质性，研究双语接触和使用如何 在两年的学校教育中影响语言和阅读技能，重点是小学一年级 教育。这项工作符合NICHD的使命，即最大限度地发挥所有儿童的潜力，使其健康和 富有成效的生活。

Project Summary/Abstract A major challenge in educational health research is that there are no well-established approaches for reliably identifying early signs of reading difficulty among dual language learners (DLLs). Given the value of literacy to individual well-being and the importance of early identification to maximize educational growth, there is a critical need to optimize assessment to identify Spanish-English DLLs at risk for reading difficulty early in the elementary years. Consequently, the long-term goal of the proposed research is to establish practical, reliable methods for early identification of reading disability among DLLs. Representing one step toward this goal, the overall objective of this project is to identify assessments of kindergarten language and preliteracy that: (1) reliably predict Spanish-English DLLs’ reading development one year later and (2) are highly sensitive for identifying DLLs classified as being at risk for reading difficulties in grade 1. We hypothesize that measures that tap multiple underlying domains of linguistic knowledge will most strongly predict future reading development, but that the relations between early language and later reading will be inconsistent across DLLs, depending on dual language exposure, use, and early code-based literacy skills. We further hypothesize that measures of transferable language skills will provide optimal single-measure discrimination for predicting reading difficulty in grade 1, but that assessment in both languages will be necessary to achieve good classification accuracy. To test these hypotheses, two specific aims will be addressed. First, this project will identify measures of DLLs’ English and Spanish language skills in kindergarten language that reliably predict reading achievement in grade 1. Second, we will determine the classification function of standardized measures of dual language abilities for identifying Spanish-English DLLs at risk for reading difficulties in grade 1. To achieve these aims, children will complete assessments of Spanish and English vocabulary knowledge, morphosyntax, early code-based literacy skills, narrative macrostructure, and narrative microstructure during kindergarten. Their parents and teachers will also be asked to describe the children's dual language exposure and use across the home and school environment. One year later, during grade 1, children will complete measures of decoding and reading comprehension in English and Spanish. This work is significant because early, reliable prediction of literacy difficulties is critical to prevent students from falling behind their peers during the early elementary years. Early identification of DLLs likely to have difficulty learning to read allows educators to allocate specialized resources and individualized instruction to maximize gains for those students. This work is innovative because it directly attends to the heterogeneity of the DLL population, examining how dual language exposure and use may influence language and reading skills across two years of schooling, focusing on the first years of elementary education. This work aligns with NICHD’s mission to maximize the potential of all children to live healthy and productive lives.