Role of Morphological Awareness in Biliteracy Development: Within- and Cross-language Perspectives among Korean ESL/EFL Learners in Grades Five and Six

This dissertation consists of three studies that explored the role of morphological awareness (MA) in biliteracy development among upper elementary students who learn to read two languages (English and Korean) in different language learning contexts (ESL and EFL). Participants included 50 Korean ESL learners in the southern Texas and 257 Korean EFL learners in Seoul, Korea. They were administered English and Korean measures of MA, vocabulary, and reading comprehension, in addition to phonological and orthographic measures.

Study I examined 50 Korean ESL learners? MA and its effect on their vocabulary and reading comprehension. Within-language path analysis provided evidence that MA was the most significant predictor for the learners? vocabulary and reading comprehension in English and in Korean, after controlling for phonological awareness (PA) and orthographic awareness (OA). Cross-language path analysis indicated that the learners? L1 (Korean) MA facilitated their L2 (English) vocabulary and reading comprehension. The extent of cross-language transfer was greater from Korean compound MA to English vocabulary and reading comprehension compared to that from Korean derivational MA.

Study II included 257 Korean EFL learners and explored the within- and cross-language perspectives. As in the first study, MA was the most positive predictor of vocabulary and reading comprehension in both English and Korean. However, differing from the first study, cross-language transfer was found only in vocabulary levels, from L2 (English) MA to L1 (Korean) vocabulary. More English derivational MA was transferred to Korean vocabulary than English compound MA.

Study III explored whether the role of MA in vocabulary and reading comprehension would vary across different language learning contexts (ESL and EFL). The multiple-group path analysis showed that the positive role of MA in vocabulary and reading comprehension in English and in Korean was not statistically different across the Korean ESL and the Korean EFL groups. However, the difference in the direction of the cross-language transfer proved statistically significant between groups.

This dissertation provided evidence to support the language-universal role of MA in literacy development among upper elementary students. This is the first evidence to show that positive cross-language transfer of MA occurred in passage-level reading when Korean and English languages are included.

Study ? examined 50 Korean ESL learners? MA and its effect on their vocabulary and reading comprehension. Within-language path analysis provided evidence that MA was the most significant predictor for the learners? vocabulary and reading comprehension in English and in Korean, after controlling for phonological awareness (PA) and orthographic awareness (OA). Cross-language path analysis indicated that the learners? L1 (Korean) MA facilitated their L2 (English) vocabulary and reading comprehension. The extent of cross-language transfer was greater from Korean compound MA to English vocabulary and reading comprehension compared to that from Korean derivational MA.

Study ? included 257 Korean EFL learners and explored the within- and cross-language perspectives. As in the first study, MA was the most positive predictor of vocabulary and reading comprehension in both English and Korean. However, differing from the first study, cross-language transfer was found only in vocabulary levels, from L2 (English) MA to L1 (Korean) vocabulary. More English derivational MA was transferred to Korean vocabulary than English compound MA.

Study ? explored whether the role of MA in vocabulary and reading comprehension would vary across different language learning contexts (ESL and EFL). The multiple-group path analysis showed that the positive role of MA in vocabulary and reading comprehension in English and in Korean was not statistically different across the Korean ESL and the Korean EFL groups. However, the difference in the direction of the cross-language transfer proved statistically significant between groups.

This dissertation provided evidence to support the language-universal role of MA in literacy development among upper elementary students. This is the first evidence to show that positive cross-language transfer of MA occurred in passage-level reading when Korean and English languages are included.