Impact of heritage language on bilingual children's path to English literacy

项目摘要/摘要 阅读是儿童早期学习的最重要的技能之一。不幸的是，中国的双语学习者 美国的阅读成绩常常达不到国家标准(Hemphill，2011)。这项建议旨在 了解双语如何影响儿童识字，以促进科学发展并提供个性化的方法 为越来越多的美国年轻双语者提供阅读指导和阅读障碍的精确治疗。 这项研究的主要目的是解释双语对儿童神经结构的影响 学习阅读。这一建议推进了当前的识字观点(词汇质量模型；Perfetti&Hart， 2002)提出，学习阅读需要神经认知系统之间的相互作用 儿童对单词声音、意义和拼写形式的表征，从而使儿童能够形成从声音到声音的 印刷品和印刷品的含义关联。然而，不同的语言更强调不同的 联想。学习西班牙语阅读会促使孩子们形成更强的声音到文字的联想，而 中文识字促使孩子们形成更强的印刷意义联想。我们在这个十字架上画- 通过双语者发展的指导性假说检验双语性的语言学证据 神经认知系统受语言习得特点熟练程度的影响。 为了验证这一假设，我们将使用行为和功能近红外光谱(FNIRS) 在每种儿童语言中进行神经成像测量，测试中英双语者、西班牙语- 6-9岁的英语双语者和英语单语者(N=300)。我们还将测试这些孩子中的一个子集 纵向(N=150)。所有的孩子都将进入纯英语学校。双语儿童会有不同的 在家中或通过课后合作项目接受遗产识字指导。目标1是 确定双语能力如何影响儿童学习阅读的神经结构。目标2是绘制 学习双语儿童阅读的神经认知轨迹。这种理论指导的方法将提供一种 坚实的经验基础：(1)揭示支持双语突现英语能力的神经认知过程 通过提供关于双语习得的原则性证据，阐明学习阅读的理论 类型学上的对比语言；(3)说明语音和语言发展的个体差异 对阅读成功至关重要的语义识字途径。这样的理解将使我们能够作出推论 关于跨语言学习的经历和双语者优势和劣势的差异来源 学习用英语阅读。综上所述，综合的行为和神经成像证据 新兴的双语和阅读能力将为理论、教育提供丰富的信息 为越来越多的年轻双语学习者和少数族裔语言学习者提供培训、实践和临床方法。

PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT Reading is one of the most important skills learned in early childhood. Unfortunately, bilingual learners in the US often fail to meet national standards in reading achievement (Hemphill, 2011). This proposal seeks to understand how bilingualism affects child literacy to advance science and inform individualized approaches to reading instruction and precision treatment of dyslexia for the growing numbers of young US bilinguals. The study's primary objective is to explain the effects of bilingualism on children's neural architecture for learning to read. This proposal advances current literacy perspectives (Lexical Quality Model; Perfetti & Hart, 2002) suggesting that learning to read requires the interaction between the neurocognitive systems linking children's representations of word sounds, meanings and orthographic forms so children can form sound-to- print and meaning-to-print associations. However, different languages put more emphasis on different associations. Learning to read in Spanish prompts children to form stronger sound-to-print associations, while Chinese literacy prompts children to form stronger meaning-to-print associations. We draw upon this cross- linguistic evidence to examine bilingualism through the guiding hypothesis that bilinguals' developing neurocognitive systems are affected by their proficiency with characteristics of the languages being acquired. To test this hypothesis, we will use behavioral and functional Near Infrared Spectroscopy (fNIRS) neuroimaging measures in each of the children's languages, testing Chinese-English bilinguals, Spanish- English bilinguals and English monolinguals ages 6–9 (N=300). We will also test a subset of these children longitudinally (N=150). All children will be attending English-only schools. The bilingual children will vary in heritage literacy instruction received at home or through partnering afterschool programs. Aim 1 is to determine how bilingualism impacts children's neural architecture for learning to read. Aim 2 is to map the neurocognitive trajectory for learning to read for the bilingual child. This theory-guided approach will provide a solid empirical basis to (1) uncover neurocognitive processes that support emergent English literacy in bilingual contexts; (2) inform theories of learning to read by providing principled evidence on bilingual acquisition of typologically-contrasting languages; (3) specify individual differences in the development of phonological and semantic literacy pathways critical to reading success. Such understanding will allow us to draw inferences about cross-linguistic learning experiences and sources of variation in bilinguals' strengths and weaknesses in learning to read in English. Taken together, the comprehensive behavioral and neuroimaging evidence on emergent dual-language and reading competence will provide rich information to inform theory, educational practices, and clinical approaches for a growing number of young bilingual and minority language learners.