Roles of First and Second Oral Language Processes in Reading and Math Outcomes among English Language Learners in Middle School

项目总结/摘要 阅读和数学成绩与毕业率、未来就业状况和收入密切相关 潜力被归类为英语学习者（ELLs）的学生面临学业困难的风险更高 比他们的非ELL同行。尽管ELLs和非ELLs之间的成绩差距随着学生 从小学到中学，缺乏专注于学术研究的研究。 在中学的成绩。因此，制定有效的评估、识别和 中学英语学习者的干预方法是心理学、教育学、 和教育政策。对这一人群的一个重要研究领域是调查首先 和第二口语过程相互关联，并与各种阅读和数学有关 结果。尽管在单语者的学习障碍研究方面取得了进展， 在ELLs样本中，阅读和数学技能的预测模型很少，特别是 考虑第一语言能力的作用。此外，尽管有大量证据支持 语言在阅读和数学中的作用，研究通常使用一种语言测量或创建一个广泛的 语言综合得分而不是考虑语言的不同方面的作用（例如，富有表现力， 接受、词汇、句法/语法知识）。本研究建议通过以下方式解决这些差距： 在一个队列中检验（目标1）口语技能的不同方面在不同阅读结果中的作用 七年级的ELLs们都在努力读书这项研究将通过创建一个 在第二批7年级ELLs中进行更有针对性的语言组合，并探索（目标2）第一批ELLs的作用 和第二语言的过程中的数学成果，以及语言的方式占重叠 阅读和数学之间的关系。最后，目标3旨在调查重要的语言相关的作用， 语境因素，如第二语言接触的年龄和家庭语言环境。这项工作有 潜在的通知学习障碍的理论模型在ELLs，以及理论， 语言技能的跨语言迁移。理解语言过程影响的方式 阅读和数学成绩很重要，因为学术干预可能会受益 从整合特定的口头语言成分。这些目标与国家儿童研究所的目标一致， 健康和人类发展（NICHD）的高优先级研究目标，更好地了解双语和 双语发展开展拟议的研究金研究将增加我们对以下问题的了解： 双语和双语能力的问题。最后，授予和完成 这一项目不仅将提供强有力的培训，研究方法和传播到一个有前途的年轻人 研究人员，但将解决一个重要的需要了解的方式，第一和第二语言 进程相互关联，并与成就相关。

PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT Reading and math achievement is closely tied to graduation rates, future employment status, and earning potential. Students classified as English Language Learners (ELLs) are at higher risk for academic difficulties than their non-ELL peers. Although the achievement gap between ELLs and non-ELLs increases as students progress from elementary to middle school, there is a dearth of research that focuses on academic achievement among ELLs in middle school. Therefore, developing effective assessment, identification, and intervention approaches for middle school ELLs is a critical problem facing the fields of psychology, education, and educational policy. One important area of research in this population is investigating the ways in which first and second oral language processes relate to one another cross-linguistically and to various reading and math outcomes. Despite progress that has been made in learning disabilities research among monolinguals, predictive models for reading and math skills among samples of ELLs are scant, particularly models that consider the roles of first language abilities. Moreover, although there is a great deal of evidence supporting the role of language in both reading and math, studies often use one measure of language or create one broad language composite score rather than considering the roles of distinct aspects of language (e.g., expressive, receptive, vocabulary, syntactic/grammatical knowledge). This research proposal addresses these gaps by examining (Aim 1) the roles of distinct aspects of oral language skills in different reading outcomes in a cohort of 7th grade ELLs who are struggling readers. This research will build off of findings from Aim 1 by creating a more targeted language battery in a second cohort of 7th grade ELLs and exploring (Aim 2) the roles of first and second language processes in math outcomes, and the ways in which language accounts for the overlap between reading and math. Finally, Aim 3 seeks to investigate the roles of important language-related contextual factors such as age of second language exposure and home language context. This work has the potential to inform theoretical models of learning disabilities among ELLs, as well as theories regarding the cross-linguistic transfer of language skills. Understanding the ways in which language processes impact reading and math achievement is important because it is possible that academic interventions may benefit from integrating specific oral language components. These aims are in line with the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development's (NICHD) high-priority research goal of better understanding bilingual and biliteracy development. Carrying out the proposed fellowship research will increase our understanding of bilingualism and biliteracy among a growing group of at-risk students. In conclusion, the award and completion of this project will not only provide strong training in research methods and dissemination to a promising young researcher, but will address a significant need for understanding the ways in which first and second language processes relate to one another and to achievement.