Timing of English exposure moderates how vocabulary growth predicts reading: English vocabulary growth predicted HEC children's English passage comprehension while Spanish vocabulary growth predicted SEC children's English reading¶

Claim · All claims
Evidence · 1 study · associational r2 · q3
Currency · newest study 2011 · checked against its sources 2026-10-20 (automated, 1 of 1 entry) · not reviewed by a person

Subclaims¶

q3 i? HEC children's growth in English receptive vocabulary predicted higher English passage comprehension scores (t = 2.76) than SEC children's; the design is observational and cannot show cause. → Davison 2011 q3 i? SEC children's growth in Spanish receptive vocabulary predicted higher English letter-word identification (t = -2.81) and passage comprehension (t = -3.68) scores than HEC children's; the design is observational and cannot show cause. → Davison 2011

Evidence¶

Davison 2011¶

Davison, Megan Dunn; Hammer, Carol; Lawrence, Frank R. (2011). Associations between Preschool Language and First Grade Reading Outcomes in Bilingual Children. Journal of Communication Disorders. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3138808/

q3 · i? · associational · r2

Group-comparison results from the second-stage growth curve models contrasting Home English Communicators (n = 48) and School English Communicators (n = 33). The article reports that "the children in the HEC group's growth in English receptive vocabulary resulting in higher English passage comprehension scores" and that SEC children's Spanish vocabulary growth statistically predicted higher English letter-word identification and passage comprehension (t = -2.81 and -3.68). The study is an observational longitudinal growth model, so these are predictive associations, not effects of vocabulary growth.

"Group differences were observed between the HEC and SEC bilingual groups, with the children in the HEC group's growth in English receptive vocabulary resulting in higher English passage comprehension scores (t = 2.76, p ≤ 0.0125) at the end of first grade when compared to the children in the SEC group."

Discussion¶

Related Claims¶

• Bilingual children's English and Spanish receptive vocabulary and oral comprehension both increased across two years of Head Start, with group advantages in the language of prior exposure — related
• Growth in Spanish receptive language during Head Start predicts first-grade English letter-word identification and passage comprehension, with timing-of-exposure group differences for Spanish vocabulary — related
• Growth in bilingual preschoolers' English receptive vocabulary and oral comprehension during Head Start positively predicts first-grade English letter-word identification and passage comprehension — related
• Simultaneous and sequential DLL learners show opposite vocabulary patterns in English versus the home language — related
• Growth in English receptive language during Head Start predicts first-grade Spanish letter-word identification and passage comprehension, supporting cross-language transfer — related
• Spanish use at home does not limit English learning: young Spanish–English bilinguals with more Spanish at school entry show higher English skills by year's end — related