2. The Process of Reading in a First
Language Compared to the Process of
Reading in a Second Language: The
Impact of Phonemical Awareness
Prof. Cristal Vázquez Dávila, 06.28.2012

3. The Process of Reading in a First Language Compared to the Process of Reading in a Second
Language: The Impact of Phonemical Awareness 6.28.2012
3
When teaching ESL reading skills to second language
learners?
•The most important concept:
to convey is that reading, like writing, is a process.
•Whether readers are aware of it or not, they employ
techniques like pre-reading and making predictions to
connect the particular text they are presently reading with
texts they have read before.
•For ESL students, scaffolding this process into distinct
steps is an effective way to build reading comprehension.

4. Process of Reading to ESL students
•In processing both spoken and written language, the human brain
employs a phonological code to represent linguistic information.
•This code is unique for each individual language, as each language
has its own distinct set of sounds, with very specific rules that govern
how those sounds can be combined into syllables and words (Cohn,
2003).
•It is particularly important to recognize the role that phonological
awareness plays as children with limited English proficiency (LEP)
learn to read, both in their native language (L1) and in their second
language (L2).
The Process of Reading in a First Language Compared to the Process of Reading in a Second
Language: The Impact of Phonemical Awareness 6.28.2012
4

5. Phonological Awareness
•Phonological awareness is the ability to manipulate language at the
phonological level, that is, to "reflect on the component sounds of
spoken words, rather than on their meanings" (Goswami, 2000, p.
251).
•The ability of phonological awareness skills to transfer from one
language to another presents advantages that are readily apparent;
however, transfer can also bring disadvantages.
•The closer the phonologies of L1 and L2, the greater the likelihood
that transfer of skills will be positive rather than negative because
children are more adept at manipulating the sounds and patterns that
exist in their native language (Bialystok, 2002).
The Process of Reading in a First Language Compared to the Process of Reading in a Second
Language: The Impact of Phonemical Awareness 6.28.2012
5

6. The Process of Reading in a First Language Compared to the Process of Reading in a Second
Language: The Impact of Phonemical Awareness 6.28.2012
6
Assessment in literacy programs
•In order to have an accurate picture of a bilingual child's
development, it is important to assess the child in both languages.
•Educators must be allowed to be creative and flexible in choosing and
interpreting assessments for children with limited English proficiency.
•Assessment in both languages is particularly important in reading.

7. The Process of Reading in a First Language Compared to the Process of Reading in a Second
Language: The Impact of Phonemical Awareness 6.28.2012
7
Reading acquisition
•Reading acquisition is no longer seen as the sole responsibility of the
school; nor is it viewed as a "lockstep" process that moves from oral
language development (speaking and listening) to print literacy
(reading and writing).
•Parents, educators, researchers, and policy-makers constantly look
for ways to provide all children with access to the world of print,
largely because knowing how to read and knowing what to do with
information gained from reading is thought to be key to a child's
future well-being.

8. The Process of Reading in a First Language Compared to the Process of Reading in a Second
Language: The Impact of Phonemical Awareness 6.28.2012
8
Phonics
•Phonics unlike phonemic awareness,
which refers to the blending and pulling
apart of the various sounds that make up
spoken words in an alphabetic language,
phonics refers to the sound-symbol
correspondences in that language.
•Phonics is a tool for decoding words; it is
not a reading program. Knowledge of
phonics does not ensure that one will
comprehend printed texts because
reading is a far more complex process
than simply sounding out words.

9. Develop Automaticity and Understanding
•In the initial stages of reading development, learning phoneme awareness
and phonics skills and practicing these skills with texts is critical.
•Children must also acquire fluency and automaticity in decoding and word
recognition.
•If beginning readers read the words in a laborious, inefficient manner, they
cannot remember what they read.
•Good comprehenders link the ideas presented in print to their own
experiences. They have also developed the necessary vocabulary to make
sense of the content being read.
• Good comprehenders have a knack for summarizing, predicting, and
clarifying what they have read, and many are adept at asking themselves
guide questions to enhance understanding.
The Process of Reading in a First Language Compared to the Process of Reading in a Second
Language: The Impact of Phonemical Awareness 6.28.2012
9

10. Programmatic longitudinal research:
• Clearly indicates that deficits in the development of phoneme
awareness skills not only predict difficulties learning to read, but
they also have a negative effect on reading acquisition. Whereas
phoneme awareness is necessary for adequate reading
development, it is not sufficient.
• Children must also develop phonics concepts and apply these skills
fluently in text.
• Although substantial research supports the importance of phoneme
awareness, phonics, and the development of speed and
automaticity in reading, we know less about how children develop
reading comprehension strategies and semantic and syntactic
knowledge.
The Process of Reading in a First Language Compared to the Process of Reading in a Second
Language: The Impact of Phonemical Awareness 6.28.2012
10

11. The Process of Reading in a First Language Compared to the Process of Reading in a Second
Language: The Impact of Phonemical Awareness 6.28.2012
11
• Once children can read the words accurately and fluently, they can
begin to construct meaning at two levels.
○ At the first level, literal understanding is achieved.
○ Next, they can begin to guide themselves through text by asking
questions.

12. Scientific research:
• We know from research that reading is a language-based activity.
• Reading does not develop naturally, and for many children, specific
decoding, word-recognition, and reading comprehension skills must
be taught directly and systematically.
• The evidence suggests strongly that educators can foster reading
development by providing kindergarten children with instruction
that develops print concepts, familiarity with the purposes of
reading and writing, age-appropriate vocabulary and language
comprehension skills, and familiarity with the language structure.
• Substantial evidence shows that many children in the 1st and 2nd
grades and beyond will require explicit instruction to develop the
necessary phoneme awareness, phonics, spelling, and reading
comprehension skills.
The Process of Reading in a First Language Compared to the Process of Reading in a Second Language: The
Impact of Phonemical Awareness 6.28.2012

13. Move beyond assumptions:
• One hopes that scientific research informs beginning reading
instruction, but it is not always so.
• As Mary Kennedy (1997) has pointed out, it is difficult for teachers
to apply research information when it is of poor quality, lacks
authority, is not easily accessible, is communicated in an
incomprehensible manner, and is not practical.
• The lack of agreement about reading development and instruction
among education leaders does not bode favorably for increasing
trust.
The Process of Reading in a First Language Compared to the Process of Reading in a Second
Language: The Impact of Phonemical Awareness 6.28.2012
13

14. The Process of Reading in a First Language Compared to the Process of Reading in a Second
Language: The Impact of Phonemical Awareness 6.28.2012
14
• Most great scientific discoveries have come from willingness and an
ability to be wrong.
• Researchers and teachers could serve our children much better if
they had the courage to set aside assumptions when they are not
working.
• The fundamental purpose of science is to test our beliefs and
intuitions and to tell us where the truth lies.
• The education of our children is too important to be determined by
anything but the strongest of objective scientific evidence.

15. The Process of Reading in a First Language Compared to the Process of Reading in a Second
Language: The Impact of Phonemical Awareness 6.28.2012
15

16. References:
• August, D., & Hakuta, K. (Eds.). (1997). Improving schooling for
language-minority students: A research agenda. Washington, DC:
National Academy Press.
• Bear, D. R., Invernizzi, M., Templeton, S., & Johnston, F. (2000).
Words their way: Word study for phonics, vocabulary, and spelling
instruction (2nd ed.). Columbus, OH: Prentice-Hall.
• Bialystok, E. (2002). Acquisition of literacy in bilingual children: A
framework for research. Language Learning, 52 (1), 159-199.
• Brice, A., & Roseberry-McKibbin, C. (2001). Choice of languages in
instruction. Teaching Exceptional Children, 33 (4), 10-16.
• Cisero, C. A., & Royer, J. M. (1995). The development and cross-
language transfer of phonological awareness. Contemporary
Educational Psychology, 20, 275-303.
16 The Process of Reading in a First Language Compared to the Process of Reading in a Second
Language: The Impact of Phonemical Awareness 6.28.2012

17. • Cohn, A. (2003). Phonology. In M. Aronoff & J. Rees-Miller (Eds.),
The handbook of linguistics (pp. 180-212). Oxford, UK: Blackwell
Publishers.
• Durgunoglu, A. Y., Nagy, W. E., & Hancin-Bhatt, B. J. (1993).
Cross-language transfer of phonological awareness. Journal of
Educational Psychology, 85 (3), 453-465.
• Francis, N. (1998). Mezquital, Malintzi y Misión de Chichimecas: La
consciencia del lenguaje en el desarrollo de la alfabetización
bilingüe [Mezquital, Malintzi and Chichimecas Mission: Language
Awareness in the Development of Bilingual Literacy]. Lectura y
vida: Revista latinoamericana de lectura, 19 (2), 21-30.
• Goswami, U. (2000). Phonological and lexical processes. In M. L.
Kamil, P. B. Mosenthal, P. D. Pearson & R. Barr (Eds.), Handbook of
reading research (Vol. III, pp. 251-267). Mahwah, New Jersey:
Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.
17 The Process of Reading in a First Language Compared to the Process of Reading in a Second
Language: The Impact of Phonemical Awareness 6.28.2012

18. • Gottardo, A. (2002). The relationship between language and
reading skills in bilingual Spanish-English speakers. Topics in
Language Disorders, 22 (5), 46-70.
• Helman, L. A. (2004). Building on the sound system of Spanish:
Insights from the alphabetic spellings of English-language learners.
The Reading Teacher, 57 (5), 452-460.
• Henderson, E., & Templeton, S. (1986). A developmental
perspective of formal spelling instruction through alphabet, pattern,
and meaning. The Elementary School Journal, 86 (3), 304-316.
• Kennedy, M.M. (1997). "The Connection Between Research and
Practice." Educational Researcher 26, 4_12.
• McLaughlin, B., Gesi Blanchard, A., & Osanai, Y. (1995). Assessing
language development in bilingual preschool children. Washington,
DC: National Clearinghouse for Bilingual Education.
The Process of Reading in a First Language Compared to the Process of Reading in a Second
Language: The Impact of Phonemical Awareness 6.28.2012
18

19. • National Reading Panel (200). Teaching children to Read: An
Evidence-Based Assessment of the Scientific Research Literature on
Reading and Its Implications for Reading Instruction. National
Institute of Child Health and Human Development.
• Peña, E., Bedore, L. M., & Rappazzo, C. (2003). Comparison of
Spanish, English, and bilingual children's performance across
semantic tasks. Language, Speech, and Hearing Services in
Schools, 34 (1), 5-16.
• Quiroga, T., Lemos-Britton, Z., Mostafapour, E., Abbott, R. D., &
Berninger, V. W. (2001). Phonological awareness and beginning
reading in Spanish-speaking ESL first graders: Research into
practice. Journal of School Psychology, 40 (1), 85-109.
• Tabors, P. O., & Snow, C. E. (2002). Young bilingual children and
early literacy development. In S. B. Neuman & D. K. Dickinson
(Eds.), Handbook of early literacy research (pp. 159-178). New
York: The Guilford press.
19 The Process of Reading in a First Language Compared to the Process of Reading in a Second
Language: The Impact of Phonemical Awareness 6.28.2012

20. Thank you