| The French (L1) and English (L2) reading development of bilingual children in French schools was examined using measures of oral language proficiency, letter-name and letter-sound knowledge, phonological processing (phonological awareness, naming speed and working memory), and word reading and word decoding over an eight month period.;At Time 1 (Senior Kindergarten), a series of multiple regressions indicated that, when controlling for oral language proficiency, letter-name knowledge and nonverbal reasoning, L1 phonological awareness was the only consistent and unique predictor of French and English word reading and word decoding performance.;At Time 2 (Grade 1), French and English phonological awareness were consistent and unique predictors of French and English word reading and word decoding performance. French and English naming speed were also unique predictors of French word reading performance.;Finally, the early predictors of French and English word reading and word decoding performance in Grade 1 were French letter-name knowledge and English phonological awareness, respectively.;The results of the present study are discussed in terms of the cognitive mechanisms involved in the bilingual reading acquisition process and their practical implications for educators. |
