ERIC Number: EJ1132621
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2014
Pages: 11
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0034-0553
EISSN: N/A
Available Date: N/A
The Role of Acculturation in Reading a Second Language: Its Relation to English Literacy Skills in Immigrant Chinese Adolescents
Jia, Fanli; Gottardo, Alexandra; Koh, Poh Wee; Chen, Xi; Pasquarella, Adrian
Reading Research Quarterly, v49 n2 p251-261 Apr-Jun 2014
The main purpose of this study was to bridge the gap between the literature on cognitive variables related to English literacy learning skills, as suggested by the simple view of reading, and the literature on sociocultural variables, specifically acculturation. The sample consisted of 94 Chinese immigrant adolescents from grades 7-12 in Waterloo Region in and the metropolitan Toronto area of Ontario, Canada. Acculturation was measured by a questionnaire. Literacy skills, including vocabulary, reading fluency, and reading comprehension, were assessed individually using standardized tests. Hierarchical regression analyses reveal that degrees of acculturation to Canadian culture positively predicted English literacy skills after controlling for length of residence in Canada. Interestingly, acculturation explained unique variance in reading beyond variables in the simple view of reading, suggesting the independent contribution of sociocultural factors to second-language reading in adolescent English learners.
Descriptors: Acculturation, Second Language Learning, English (Second Language), Foreign Countries, Listening Skills, Literacy, Cognitive Ability, Sociocultural Patterns, Immigrants, Asians, Questionnaires, Vocabulary, Reading Fluency, Reading Comprehension, Standardized Tests, Adolescents, Prediction, Secondary School Students, Correlation, Metropolitan Areas, Student Attitudes, Intelligence Tests, Verbal Ability, Reading Tests, Likert Scales, Multiple Regression Analysis
Wiley-Blackwell. 350 Main Street, Malden, MA 02148. Tel: 800-835-6770; Tel: 781-388-8598; Fax: 781-388-8232; e-mail: cs-journals@wiley.com; Web site: http://www.wiley.com.bibliotheek.ehb.be/WileyCDA
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Secondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Canada
Identifiers - Assessments and Surveys: Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test; Woodcock Reading Mastery Test; Gates MacGinitie Reading Tests
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A
Author Affiliations: N/A