Longitudinal indicators of spelling development in first and second language learners

Abstract

Purpose: We tested the correlates of first and second language spelling development in Chinese-English bilingual children from Hong Kong across 2 years. Method: 110 Hong Kong children (mean age=93.14 months) were followed for two years. Basic literacy skills were tested at Time1 as indicators of Time2 spelling performance. Considering the large age range (59 months at Time1) in our sample, multiple groups path analyses were applied to test the age effects on each path loading. Time 1 spelling performance, age, and IQ were statistically controlled. Results:The model for Chinese spelling development differed from that for English spelling, and models also differed with age. For Chinese spelling, the best indicator was RAN. Age moderated the relationship between spelling and phonological awareness and between spelling and pure copying, suggesting that phonological awareness and pure copying skills were better indicators of Chinese spelling in younger children but not in the older group. For English spelling, morphological awareness and vocabulary knowledge in English were among the strongest indicators. Age moderated the correlations between spelling and phonological awareness and between spelling and RAN, suggesting that phonological awareness was a stronger correlate in the older group while RAN was a stronger correlate in the younger group. Conclusions: These results suggest that the processes involved in Chinese (L1) and English (L2) spelling development likely vary. Whereas L2 spelling seemed to depend most upon English language knowledge, in Chinese, spelling skills were associated with both RAN and copying skill, at least in younger children.