Janina Kahn-Horwitz

English as a foreign language spelling development: A longitudinal study

English as a foreign language (EFL) spelling was examined longitudinally three times (4th, 9th, 12th grades) during 9 years of EFL study among Hebrew first language (L1) students. The study examined the impact of L1 literacy variables including phonemic awareness, word attack, and spelling on EFL spelling and the relationship between EFL literacy variables and EFL spelling. Results showed that English spelling measured at earlier points strongly predicted later English spelling. L1 literacy skills measured in fourth grade were more significant than English word recognition in explaining end of ninth grade EFL spelling. Beginning of first year EFL letter knowledge in fourth grade predicted end of first-year EFL spelling. These results show qualitatively different L1 and EFL literacy abilities impacting EFL spelling at 4th, 9th, and 12th grades.

Relevance of the Linguistic Coding Difference Hypothesis to English as an Additional Language of Literacy in Israel

This study longitudinally examined first language as well as English as an additional language (EAL) predictors of EAL word recognition and reading comprehension amongst 77 – L1 Hebrew speaking ninth graders. The Linguistic Coding Differences Hypothesis was supported by phonological awareness measured in Hebrew making a significant contribution to explaining EAL word reading and reading comprehension. EAL spelling significantly predicted EAL word recognition. Knowledge of English vocabulary and RAN predicted EAL reading comprehension, showing the importance of understanding together with fluency and accuracy components underlying EAL reading comprehension.

Introduction to the special issue on teacher knowledge from an international perspective

High-quality instruction is the key to ensuring that all children learn to read and write. Moreover, researchers have noted the important and positive impact that a knowledgeable teacher can make on a child’s literacy acquisition, particularly for children who struggle to acquire basic literacy skills (Moats, 2009; Snow et al., 1998, 2005). Thus, for a little over two decades, researchers have investigated what teachers know about basic reading components related to the spoken and written structure of the English language (e.g., phonology, orthography, morphology). Though this research has yielded both worrisome and promising findings about teacher content knowledge and its relationship to student literacy acquisition and achievement, most of the research has been conducted in the USA (Binks-Cantrell, Washburn, Joshi, & Hougen, 2012; Moats, 1994; Spear-Swerling & Brucker, 2003, 2004; Spear-Swerling, Brucker, & Alfano, 2005; Washburn, Joshi, & Binks-Cantrell, 2011). However, recently this research has expanded to encompass a more international perspective. In this special issue of teacher knowledge, this expansion of research on teacher knowledge is highlighted and includes empirical research from five continents. Additionally, this research includes a wider perspective, in which teacher knowledge of other languages and literacies besides for English, and English as a foreign language literacy acquisition in countries where English is neither a first nor second language and most of the teachers are non-native speakers, has been examined. Ann. of Dyslexia (2016) 66:1–6 DOI 10.1007/s11881-015-0119-6

Providing English foreign language teachers with content knowledge to facilitate decoding and spelling acquisition: a longitudinal perspective.

This quasi-experimental study adds to the small existing literature on orthographic-related teacher knowledge in an English as a foreign language (EFL) context. The study examined the impact of a course on English orthography on predominantly non-native-speaking EFL preservice and inservice teachers’ orthographic content knowledge, and the extent to which these teachers retained orthographic-related content knowledge four months after participating in a semester course on the topic. In addition, the study examined the relationship between participants’ acquired orthographic-related content knowledge and EFL spelling. Both groups of teachers that studied in the course improved on overall orthographic-related content knowledge, both immediately following the course and longitudinally. Preservice and inservice participants showed similar levels of orthographic knowledge prior to course participation and both showed significant improvements compared to controls following course participation. Participants also retained knowledge four months after course completion. Overall, the inservice teachers scored higher on orthographic-related knowledge, possibly as a result of the immediate application of their newly acquired knowledge. An unexpected finding was a lack of interaction between acquired orthographic-related content knowledge and pseudo word spelling scores. Possible methodological limitations, such as number of participants as well as the length and scope of the course, may explain this outcome. This paper also discusses practical implications of this study for EFL decoding and spelling instruction.