汉语儿童英汉语语音意识和英语单词认读能力的关系

本研究考察了小学儿童语音意识和英语单词认读的关系。一系列相关和回归分析发现,英、汉语语音意识与英语单词认读有密切关系,但这种关系随年级变化而变化,英语语音意识对汉语儿童英语单词认读并不具有稳定的预测力;而且并不总是最有预测力的因素。结果说明,与英语本族语儿童相比,语音意识在汉语儿童的英语单词认读学习中起了不同的作用。     

语音意识的不同成分在汉语儿童英语阅读学习中的作用

研究一测查了74名小学三、五年级儿童辨别、删除汉语和英语音节、首音-韵脚、音位等不同语音成分的能力以及英语单词阅读,考察语音意识不同成分与英语阅读学习的关系及母语语音意识的作用途径.研究二测查了83名英语阅读较差和73名英语阅读一般及以上儿童的英语语音删除和单词认读能力,考察阅读水平对于语音意识作用的调节效应.结果表明:(1)英语首音-韵脚意识对英语阅读具有显著的独立贡献;(2)汉语首音-韵脚意识和声调意识分别对英语单词认读和假词拼读具有显著的独立贡献,二者通过英语首音-韵脚意识的中介发挥作用;(3)阅读水平具有显著的调节作用.首音-韵脚意识是正常儿童阅读的有效预测变量,而音节意识是低水平儿童阅读的有效预测变量.上述结果与有关语音意识各成分在英语为母语儿童阅读学习中作用的研究结果不同,提示第二语言的学习具有特殊性,母语经验影响着个体第二语言学习的过程.     

汉语儿童英语口语词汇与阅读学习的关系

以120名四、五年级小学儿童为被试,探讨汉语儿童英语口语词汇与阅读学习的关系,并检验了英语语音意识在其中的中介作用。结果表明:(1)汉语儿童的英语口语词汇与阅读学习之间存在密切关系。控制一般认知能力和母语口语词汇的影响后,英语口语词汇对阅读学习仍具有显著的预测作用。其中,英语口语词汇产生对于英语单词认读的预测作用更重要,英语口语词汇理解则对英语单词理解的预测作用更重要。(2)英语口语词汇产生既可以直接作用于英语单词认读、理解和假词拼读,也部分通过英语语音意识的中介间接作用于英语阅读;英语口语词汇理解对英语单词理解也具有直接作用,并部分地通过英语语音意识的中介发挥间接作用     

汉语儿童英语语音意识与拼写的关系

对92名二到四年级的汉语儿童进行英语语音意识和英语拼写测试,探索汉语儿童英语拼写的发展特点以及语音意识中的不同成分对其拼写的影响作用。结果发现：（1）汉语儿童的英语拼写成绩随着年级和学习经验的增多而提高,其中二年级到三年级是英语拼写能力发展的关键时期,女生的拼写成绩优于男生。（2）语音意识中的首音韵音意识对汉语儿童的英语拼写有较强的影响作用,此外,拼音和工作记忆也是影响汉语儿童英语拼写的重要因素。     

英语语音意识在汉语儿童英语单词阅读及拼写中的作用

本研究考察了英语语音意识在小学汉语儿童英语单词读写学习中的作用。对189名小学儿童的研究表明:(1)一、二、五年级在首音和韵脚意识上差异显著;在音位意识上,一、二年级差异不显著,五年级显著高于其他两个年级;(2)各年级儿童的语音意识与其英语单词读写均存在显著相关;(3)控制英语口语词汇量后,一年级的首音意识显著解释其单词读写的变异,二年级的首音意识显著解释其单词拼写的变异,五年级的音位意识显著解释其单词读写的变异;(4)各年级的语音意识对单词拼写较之于阅读都具有更强的变异解释力。可见,小学汉语儿童的英语语音意识与其单词读写存在密切联系,语音意识与拼写的关系相对更为紧密;首音意识对早期读写发展具有重要意义,而音位意识在后期读写学习中的作用更为突出。     

汉语儿童汉语与英语语音意识发展的关系

研究以押韵、首音、音位和声调(汉语)等语音学单位为基础考察了一、三、五年级302名汉语儿童汉语与英语语音意识发展间的关系。结果表明,汉语与英语语音意识之间存在着显著的相关,其中汉语押韵意识与英语各语音意识的相关最高,而声调意识最低;儿童在汉语语音意识的正确率显著地高于英语语音意识;汉语语音意识水平高的儿童在英语语音意识各任务上的正确率显著地高于汉语语音意识水平低的儿童。     

双语儿童语音意识与词汇认读关系的研究

通过平行语音和词汇加工任务。对64名双语儿童英汉两种语言语音意识和词汇认读能力进行了双向测查。结果表明：双语儿童在两种语言不同语音意识和词汇认读之间存在跨语言的多重相关;在对其英语和汉语词汇认读能力的预测中,汉语音节辨认和英语音素识别均为重要的指标,表明语音意识对词汇认读能力具有跨语言的双向预测作用。     

两类英语学习困难的心理机制研究

本研究以单纯英语学习困难、中英双语学习困难和正常对照组为被试,考查了80名五年级小学生的语音意识和视觉工作记忆变量.结果表明,(1)两种英语学习困难儿童英语语音意识均比正常儿童差,均存在发展迟缓的缺陷;(2)两种英语学习困难儿童视觉工作记忆均相对落后;(3)视觉工作记忆在单纯英语学习困难儿童的汉语学习上存在一定的补偿作用,对英语学习则没有相同的作用.结果揭示了汉语认知加工过程相对于英语的特殊性.     

小学儿童英语正字法技能的发展及其在单词阅读中的作用

为系统探讨正字法技能不同成分的发展特点及其在英语单词阅读中的作用,对小学一、三、五年级共110名儿童施测英语正字法规则意识、正字法模式建构技能、正字法编码技能、单词阅读以及一般认知能力和英语语音意识测验。结果表明：（1）汉语儿童的英语正字法技能各成分随年级显著增长,各成分间及其与一般认知技能、语音意识的关系存在年级差异;（2）控制年龄、一般认知能力和语音意识后,正字法技能在三、五年级仍对单词阅读有显著的独立解释作用,且其独立贡献率高于语音意识;（3）进一步控制其他正字法技能成分后,正字法规则意识以正字法模式建构技能为完全中介间接地作用于单词阅读,正字法模式建构技能在三、五年级都仍对单词阅读有显著的独立解释作用,正字法编码技能在五年级中能显著地独立解释单词阅读的部分变异。     

汉语儿童的语音加工技能与其单词朗读技能的关系研究

以121名小学五年级学生为被试,采用测验法,考察了汉语儿童的语音技工技能与其英文单词朗读技能的关系。结果表明:语音加工技能的三种成分均能够对英文单词朗读技能产生影响,其中,语音意识对单词朗读技能具有重要影响,快速命名能力和语音工作记忆也能够对单词朗读技能产生影响。     

Pinyin and English Invented Spelling in Chinese-Speaking Students Who Speak English as a Second Language

This study examined pinyin (the official phonetic system that transcribes the lexical tones and pronunciation of Chinese characters) invented spelling and English invented spelling in 72 Mandarin-speaking 6th graders who learned English as their second language. The pinyin invented spelling task measured segmental-level awareness including syllable and phoneme awareness, and suprasegmental-level awareness including lexical tones and tone sandhi in Chinese Mandarin. The English invented spelling task manipulated segmental-level awareness including syllable awareness and phoneme awareness, and suprasegmental-level awareness including word stress. This pinyin task outperformed a traditional phonological awareness task that only measured segmental-level awareness and may have optimal utility to measure unique phonological and linguistic features in Chinese reading. The pinyin invented spelling uniquely explained variance in Chinese conventional spelling and word reading in both languages. The English invented spelling uniquely explained variance in conventional spelling and word reading in both languages. Our findings appear to support the role of phonological activation in Chinese reading. Our experimental linguistic manipulations altered the phonological awareness item difficulties.     

Tone matters for Cantonese–English bilingual children’s English word reading development: A unified model of phonological transfer

Languages differ considerably in how they use prosodic features, or variations in pitch, duration, and intensity, to distinguish one word from another. Prosodic features include lexical tone in Chinese and lexical stress in English. Recent cross-sectional studies show a surprising result that Mandarin Chinese tone sensitivity is related to Mandarin–English bilingual children’s English word reading. This study explores the mechanism underlying this relation by testing two explanations of these effects: the prosodic hypothesis and segmental phonological awareness transfer. We administered multiple measures of Cantonese tone sensitivity, English stress sensitivity, segmental phonological awareness in Cantonese and English, nonverbal ability, and English word reading to 123 Cantonese–English bilingual children ages 7 and 8 years. Structural equation modeling revealed a longitudinal prediction of Cantonese tone sensitivity to English word reading between 8 and 9 years of age. This relation was realized through two parallel routes. In one, Cantonese tone sensitivity predicted English stress sensitivity, and English stress sensitivity, in turn, significantly predicted English word reading, as postulated by the prosodic hypothesis. In the second, Cantonese tone sensitivity predicted English word reading through the transfer of segmental phonological awareness between Cantonese and English, as predicted by segmental phonological transfer. These results support a unified model of phonological transfer, emphasizing the role of tone in English word reading for Cantonese–English bilingual children.     

Contributions of linguistic,quantitative, and spatial attention skills to young children's math versus reading: Same,different, or both?

The study used Bayesian and Frequentist methods to investigate whether the roles of linguistic, quantitative, and spatial attention skills are distinct in children's acquisition of reading and math. A sample of 175 Chinese kindergarteners was tested with measures of linguistic skills (phonological awareness and phonological memory), quantitative knowledge (number line task, symbolic digit comparison, and non-symbolic number estimation), spatial attention skills (visual span, mental rotation, and visual search), word reading, and calculation. After statistically controlling for age and nonverbal intelligence, phonological awareness and digit comparison performance explained unique variance in both math and reading. Moreover, number line estimation was specifically important for math, while phonological memory was specifically essential for reading. These findings highlight the possibility of developing early screening tools with different cognitive measures for children at risk of learning disabilities in reading and/or math.