Cross-linguistic transfer is skill-specific: phonological awareness and print concepts are more likely to transfer across languages, while vocabulary and comprehension are more language-dependent¶

Claim · All claims
Evidence · 1 study · design r2 · q1
Currency · newest study 2026 · checked against its sources 2026-10-19 (automated, 1 of 1 entry) · not reviewed by a person

Subclaims¶

q1 i? Foundational skills such as phonological awareness and print concepts are more likely to transfer across languages, whereas vocabulary and comprehension are more language-dependent. → Spanish MAP Reading Fluency Technical Report 2026

Evidence¶

Spanish MAP Reading Fluency Technical Report 2026¶

Spanish MAP Reading Fluency Technical Report. (2026). NWEA. https://www.nwea.org/research/publication/spanish-map-reading-fluency-technical-report/

q1 · i? · design · r2

A multilingual-considerations statement in the Test Design section. The report adds that oral language development in both Spanish and English "is essential for reading development and is not merely supportive," and that vocabulary and comprehension should not be interpreted as deficits without considering language experience.

"Cross-linguistic transfer is skill-specific rather than automatic. Foundational skills such as phonological awareness and print concepts are more likely to transfer across languages, whereas vocabulary and comprehension are more language-dependent and should be interpreted within each language context."

Discussion¶

Learner Variables¶

• Alphabet Knowledge and Print Awareness — predictor: learners who differ on it differ in outcomes
• Communication Skills — predictor: learners who differ on it differ in outcomes
• Oral Language — predictor: learners who differ on it differ in outcomes
• Phonological Awareness — predictor: learners who differ on it differ in outcomes

Related Claims¶

• A learner's first language predicts L2 phoneme perception more strongly than their proficiency level does. — related
• L2 oral language proficiency predicts reading comprehension more strongly than decoding skills — related
• Oral language measures of syntax, listening comprehension, and oral vocabulary do not predict which English learners will struggle with learning to read — related
• Students used two languages flexibly for different mathematical sub-tasks but lacked academic Spanish vocabulary — related
• L1 (Spanish) reading comprehension is positively correlated with English reading comprehension, with the relationship weaker for students with lower English proficiency — related
• Bilingual instruction pairs transfer technique knowledge across languages, more strongly to Indo-Aryan (∆TF = +3.2) than Dravidian (∆TF = +1.8) languages — a narrower finding that bears on this claim
• L2 writing proficiency was more highly correlated with L1 writing proficiency than with L2 linguistic knowledge or its accessibility — related