Where do I begin to read? Concepts about print support early L1 and L2 word reading in emerging bilingual readers

Abstract

Before children learn to read, they develop an understanding of how books, words, and letters work, also known as concepts about print. This is an established correlate of word reading skills. A key remaining question is whether concepts about print predict word reading among learners schooled in a language other than the home language. In this longitudinal study with 95 emerging bilingual children followed from kindergarten to Grade 1, we tested whether concepts about print assessed in kindergarten in English (the home language) predicted word reading concurrently and/or longitudinally in English and French (the language of instruction in school) after controlling for nonverbal reasoning, parental education level, receptive vocabulary, and phonological awareness. We found that kindergarten English concepts about print contributed to significant variance in English and French word reading both concurrently and longitudinally. These results suggest that concepts about print acquired in the home language may enable word reading skills in the language of school instruction among emerging bilingual readers. They align with the emergent literacy perspective that conceptualizes early literacy skills as foundational to the acquisition of conventional forms of literacy, including literacy acquired in an additional language.