On biliteracy, cross-linguistic transfer, and L1 maintenance: Evidence from Hebrew-speaking children in the U.S

Many students of immigrant families in the U.S. are insufficiently proficient in both English and their L1. Research has shown positive correlation between language and literacy in monolingual children, but evidence from bilingual populations is inconclusive. A quasi-experimental design assessed 26 Kindergarten to fourth grade children of Israeli families in the Boston area, who acquired literacy in Hebrew as L1 at different levels. The purpose of the present study was twofold: To study a population of high parental education level and explore the relation between L1 oral proficiency and L1 literacy (Hebrew); to further explore the relation between Hebrew literacy and English literacy. It was hypothesized that the higher the L1 reading level, the higher the L1 oral proficiency and L2 literacy level. Tests of Hebrew lexical retrieval abilities and expressive vocabulary, as well as tests of reading in both Hebrew and English, were administered. Additionally, parents filled out a questionnaire on developmental history and language habits in the family. Results did not find any correlations between L1 oral proficiency and literacy, in either language, nor was there found correlation between Hebrew and English literacy levels. However, there was some evidence for possible effects of schooling in Hebrew, as well as for both positive and negative cross-linguistic transfer of meta-linguistic abilities between Hebrew and English. Moreover, it was shown that all participants had smaller expressive vocabulary and low reading levels in Hebrew, but high reading levels in English, compared with monolingual norms. Possible support for Jim Cummins' Threshold Hypothesis and implications to bilingual education are discussed.