Developmental Phases in English Word Recognition and the L2 Reading Experience of Korean Elementary School Students

Abstract

The present thesis attempts to investigate the developmental phases of English word recognition as a L2 among Korean elementary school students, combined with their L2 reading experiences. Based on Ehris (2005a, 2005b) phase model of English word recognition, demonstrated as occurring during reading development among native English-speaking children, this thesis explores the question as to whether Korean-speaking L2 learners in learning to read follow the four developmental phases of English word recognition

from the pre-alphabetic phase, to the partial alphabetic phase, to the full alphabetic phase, and finally to the consolidated phase. According to Ehris phase model, the acquisition of knowledge about grapheme-phoneme correspondences and phonemic awareness facilitates the formation of connections between letters, sounds and meanings of words in memory so that beginning readers are able to recognize more words accurately and rapidly and accumulate a larger lexicon of sight words. In the current study, 195 Korean elementary school students – 49 third graders, 50 fourth graders, 46 fifth graders, and 50 sixth graders – completed two types of word reading tasks, i.e., the English Pseudoword Reading task and the Isolated English Word Reading task, followed by post semi-structured oral interviews. When it comes to the developmental phases in English word recognition, detailed analysis from students performances in the English Pseudoword reading task verified that young students followed the four phases of English word recognition development, according to the presence of alphabetic knowledge about the target language writing system. The following statistical analysis determined that those at a more advanced phase were able to recognize more words accurately and quickly. The results drawn from the word reading measurements provide evidence that L2 learners in learning to read English as a foreign language, acquire literacy in ways similar to that of native English-speaking children. Regarding the L2 reading experiences that contributed to English word reading acquisition, the results revealed that there were significant differences in the total amount of out-of-class L2 reading activities and home literacy environments among L2 learners, specifically between the skilled readers and the less-skilled readers within the same grade. This indicates that continuous and extensive L2 reading practices, with a supportive and positive environment, enables, facilitates, and accelerates the mastery of linguistic skills and knowledge prerequisite for automatic word recognition. The results and the pedagogical implications regarding L2 reading instruction are discussed.