THE ROLE OF ORAL LANGUAGE AND READING IN THE TRANSFER OF SKILLS FROM SPANISH TO ENGLISH READING

The transfer of students in bilingual education programs from reading in Spanish to reading in English is a common practice. Most programs have as the criterion for transfer students' oral language proficiency in English. The major purpose of this study was to investigate English oral language proficiency and Spanish reading proficiency as predictors of English reading achievement. Examination of this problem was considered a first step in determining the most efficient criteria for transfer of Spanish-speaking students from Spanish to English instruction. The study had four related objectives: (a)to ascertain the degree of proficiency that these students have in reading in Spanish; (b)to identify reading skills in English and Spanish which are indicative of efficient and non-efficient readers; (c)to determine whether a relationship exists between good readers in English and good readers in Spanish; and (d)to determine whether the instruments that are being used as criteria to transfer students from reading in Spanish to reading in English are adequate. A total of 191 fourth-grade students from a bilingual program, who had transferred from reading in Spanish to reading in English, were randomly selected as participants in this study. Data on these students were gathered through use of two standardized reading tests (English and Spanish), an oral language dominance measure (English), and a criterion-referenced measure (Spanish). Analyses of these data indicated that students' degree of proficiency in reading in Spanish varied as much as it did in English. Eight reading skills in English were identified which aid in the selection of efficient and non-efficient readers. No conclusions regarding skills of efficient Spanish readers could be drawn. A significant relationship was found to exist between good readers in Spanish and good readers in English. Results suggested that of the two instruments being used as criteria for transferring students, the oral language dominance measure (English) and the criterion-referenced measure (Spanish), the oral language dominance measure was a more adequate instrument. Furthermore, use of the English oral language dominance measure alone was less adequate than when used in combination with a Spanish reading test.;Additional information was gathered related to sex, age, place of birth, socioeconomic status, and school. Sex and age did not appear to affect reading in Spanish or English. Socioeconomic status and place of birth were significant. Students from a higher socioeconomic level had significantly better scores when tested in reading in English than those students from a lower socioeconomic level. Students born in Mexico had substantially lower scores when tested in English than those students born in the United States. Scores on reading in English were found to vary by school. Differences among schools were also significant when data were analyzed for the criterion-referenced measure of Spanish reading.