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This dissertation examined language and literacy development in English-Hebrew emerging bilinguals. During their senior kindergarten year, one group of children participated in a bilingual English-Hebrew program (“early” group; n = 17) while another participated in an English-language program with minimal Hebrew instruction (“late” group; n = 19). Both groups were merged in Grade 1 and continued to receive a partial Hebrew immersion program. The first part of this dissertation explored longitudinally how an early partial Hebrew immersion program contributes to literacy (word reading, pseudoword reading, reading comprehension), language (vocabulary and morphological awareness (MA)), phonological awareness, and rapid automatized naming in English and Hebrew. Similar improvement from senior kindergarten to Grade 1 was noted for both groups across all measures, however the early group displayed significantly stronger Hebrew vocabulary skills. Literacy and language inter- and cross-linguistic correlation patterns were not significantly different between the two groups. The second part examined the relevance of the Simple View of Reading framework (SVR; Gough & Tunmer, 1986) in Grade 1 (N = 36). The contribution of word reading and language proficiency was examined within and between languages. Two aspects of MA (derivational awareness and inflectional awareness) were considered as additional components of oral language. Word reading, vocabulary and both MA measures were used as predictors. The SVR model significantly explained English reading comprehension based on a combination of word reading and derivational awareness (but not vocabulary), and Hebrew reading comprehension based on word reading and vocabulary. In English, derivational awareness contributed unique variance to reading comprehension above word reading although this was not the case in Hebrew. In addition, English word reading and inflectional awareness predicted Hebrew reading comprehension, thus supporting the SVR model cross-linguistically, although the reverse was not true. Overall, the children attending the Hebrew early immersion programming had an advantage for Hebrew vocabulary skills with no negative repercussions on their English language and literacy skills. The study supports the relevance of the SVR framework for young emerging bilinguals, and underscores the importance of considering aspects of MA as components of oral language proficiency that contribute to reading comprehension in these learners.

This dissertation examined language and literacy development in English-Hebrew emerging bilinguals. During their senior kindergarten year, one group of children participated in a bilingual English-Hebrew program (“early” group; n = 17) while another participated in an English-language program with minimal Hebrew instruction (“late” group; n = 19). Both groups were merged in Grade 1 and continued to receive a partial Hebrew immersion program. The first part of this dissertation explored longitudinally how an early partial Hebrew immersion program contributes to literacy (word reading, pseudoword reading, reading comprehension), language (vocabulary and morphological awareness (MA)), phonological awareness, and rapid automatized naming in English and Hebrew. Similar improvement from senior kindergarten to Grade 1 was noted for both groups across all measures, however the early group displayed significantly stronger Hebrew vocabulary skills. Literacy and language inter- and cross-linguistic correlation patterns were not significantly different between the two groups. The second part examined the relevance of the Simple View of Reading framework (SVR; Gough & Tunmer, 1986) in Grade 1 (N = 36). The contribution of word reading and language proficiency was examined within and between languages. Two aspects of MA (derivational awareness and inflectional awareness) were considered as additional components of oral language. Word reading, vocabulary and both MA measures were used as predictors. The SVR model significantly explained English reading comprehension based on a combination of word reading and derivational awareness (but not vocabulary), and Hebrew reading comprehension based on word reading and vocabulary. In English, derivational awareness contributed unique variance to reading comprehension above word reading although this was not the case in Hebrew. In addition, English word reading and inflectional awareness predicted Hebrew reading comprehension, thus supporting the SVR model cross-linguistically, although the reverse was not true. Overall, the children attending the Hebrew early immersion programming had an advantage for Hebrew vocabulary skills with no negative repercussions on their English language and literacy skills. The study supports the relevance of the SVR framework for young emerging bilinguals, and underscores the importance of considering aspects of MA as components of oral language proficiency that contribute to reading comprehension in these learners.

Literacy, as we have come to understand and teach it, is currently in a situation of critical change. New and increasingly complex electronic technologies are creating new literacies; however, our present concepts of literacy are heavily grounded in Gutenbergian print. This traditional understanding is inadequate for the new and complex literacy of digital discourse. This dissertation foregrounds the issue of how literacy, as manifest in the writing process, is affected when composing in hypertext, most especially in the context of the Internet. This research takes the form of an emergent, field-based, modified case study approach. It is shaped in response to the overarching research question: How are writer's perceptions of the new rhetorical situtations presented by hypertext affecting thelr attitudes towards writing and the consequent decisions they make in response to these perceptions? Information was collected in the form of interviews, observations, journals, correspondence, and artefacts. Methods for collection included both personal contact and technology-assisted remote contact, including email, instant messaging, telephone, traditional mail, and fax. The experiences of seven major informants form the central focus of this study; the experiences of approximately ninety minor informants are included in a more peripheral way. This study offers a detailed description of the complex and dynamic ways in which these writers perceived hypertext as a new rhetorical space, and the consequent writing decisions they made in response to these perceptions. It interprets their experiences in the immediate context of writing theory and hypertext theory, suggests practical applications based on these interpretations, and projects a direction for further study.

This study examines the influence of home, classroom and book-reading conditions on emergent and early readers' developing literacy abilities. The study, done with 60 grade 1 children from the inner-city and more affluent areas of Montreal uses complex multivariate designs to assess how these three conditions influence children's developing literacy abilities. Results indicate that variations in the home environment and children's interactions with print have a significant effect on book and code knowledge and print awareness before school instruction. The combined effect of the classroom and home environments have a significant influence on print awareness and reading fluency. After 4 months of instruction children improve significantly in book and code knowledge, print awareness, accuracy and fluency. Across classrooms, children differ in print awareness, fluency and word-reading accuracy. Assisted and unassisted reading conditions with an unfamiliar, patterned book indicate that use of strategies changes as a function of time and assistance given.

<p>The study set out to investigate the relationship between parental literacy levels and the literacy abilities of their children who were Grade 3 learners at a primary school in an impoverished area. The study initially hypothesized that there is a correlation beteen the literacy level of parents and the literacy abilities of their children. More specifically, it assumed that the higher the lieracy leevls of the parents, the stronger the literacy abilities of their Grade 3 child would be.</p>

Thesis (MEducation)--University of South Australia, 2001.

Thesis (MEd) -- University of South Australia, 1993

Thesis (M.Ed. (Literacy and Language))--University of South Australia, 1995.

No description available.