So What?

Sparks, R. L., Patton, J., Ganschow, L., & Humbach, N. (2012).  Do L1 reading achievements and L1 print exposure contribute to the prediction of L2 proficiency. Language Learning 62 (2), 473-505. 

Purpose of the article: Sparks, Patton, Ganschow, and Humbach want to determine how much of an effect print exposure in elementary school has on a student’s ability to learn a foreign language in high school.

What was studied/ discussed:   They studied a group of students from first grade to tenth grade.  The students were all in the same school system, and they each took the same classes.  In high school, the students were introduced to foreign language (either French, Spanish, or German) in the ninth grade.  The authors studied the students’ reading levels and print exposure in elementary school, and then compared it to the students’ proficiency in a foreign language.

Important Terms:  print exposure, L1, L2, proficiency (p. 474)

Results:  By following a group of students from elementary school to high school and examining their reading habits and reading proficiency, they were able to draw conclusions about the link between print exposure and a student’s ability to become proficient in a foreign language in high school.  The results of the study showed that the students who had a higher print exposure in elementary school scored higher on the L2 proficiency tests. They attributed this to the prevalence of more complex grammatical structures and vocabulary in print sources that are less frequently found in spoken language. 

So What?  For the most part, I was not at all surprised by the results of this study, but it is very interesting to see the data.  Of course, they talked a lot about studies done previously about the link between L1 reading proficiency and L2 proficiency.   As a foreign language teacher, I see evidence of this every time I introduce a new grammatical concept.  While learning about direct and indirect objects may not seem too complicated for students who are familiar with English grammar, there are always a few students who have no idea what I’m talking about.  How can foreign language teachers meet the needs of these students and not leave them in the dust?  In other words, what can high school teachers do about this if the damage has already been done from lack of reading in elementary school? 

            Also, for these students who have had limited print exposure, becoming proficient a foreign language, while more difficult, is not impossible.  How much can the teacher do the help the student, and how much of the effort will have to come from the student?  By the time the students get to high school, struggling readers have already been identified.  (This also goes for students who might not have parents that encourage reading for entertainment.) In order to help these students succeed in the foreign language classroom, how could communication from school to school or grade-to-grade help foreign language teachers best teach their students?  Even though foreign language is a brand new class, so much of what they learn requires background L1 knowledge of both grammar and vocabulary.  English teachers’ input could be very valuable in this situation.