The role of second language proficiency in the development of second language reading efficiency

grantor: University of TorontoThis study examines the role of second language proficiency in learning to read fluently in a second language. Sixty subjects were randomly sampled from a Hebrew Day School in Toronto. Twenty children were in each of grades two, four and six. All children had English as their first language (L1) and Hebrew as their second language (L2). In each grade, subjects were given parallel tasks in Hebrew and English: reading isolated words and reading these same words in a text. Accuracy and speed were measured by timing the subjects as they performed each of these tasks. They were also administered parallel comprehension and oral cloze sentence tasks, in each language in order to determine their level of language proficiency (syntactic and semantic knowledge). In general, subjects in grade 2 and 4 had an advantage in their L1 on all measures. The results indicated that by grade 6, however, subjects no longer do significantly better in their L1, English, on the accuracy, speed and proficiency measures. The importance of semantic and syntactic knowledge in reading a second language and of the role of orthographic complexity are discussed.M.A