The Crosslinguistic and Intralinguistic Factors that Affect the English Spelling Outcomes of Young Spanish Speaking Bilinguals

Abstract

Very little research has focused on what language skills might impact English language learners’ early writing development, specifically their English spelling skills. The purpose of this study is to examine how phonological and reading skills interrelate within and between languages to affect the English spelling outcomes among young Spanish-speaking students educated in bilingual programs. Using a causal-comparative research design, the relationships between phonological awareness, word reading in English and Spanish and English spelling were measured to study how these variables interacted with one another between and within languages. This study was conducted in two Texas school districts, using a sample of 1st grade Spanish speaking students (N=45). Using correlational and multiple regression analyses, the results demonstrated various crosslinguistic and intralinguistic relationships and found that Spanish phonological awareness skills were the most predictive of English spelling outcomes. In addition, recommendations for the direction of future study will be discussed.