Easy-to-implement Assessment of Reading and Writing Difficulties for Novice English Learners

Abstract

　　This study created an easy-to-implement assessment to identify novice English learners with reading and writing difficulties. First, the factors that could cause the symptoms of such difficulties were explored by utilizing the triangle model (Seidenberg & McClelland, 1989) to conceptualize the language reading and writing process (and its failure). Second, a theoretical construct model was developed. The assessment was conducted on 272 junior high school students (1st and 2nd graders). The obtained data were analyzed through both quantitative (structural equation modeling [SEM]) and qualitative (case investigation) methods. The investigation revealed the following findings: 1) The SEM analysis results revealed that the collected data were apt for the original construct model, and hence the assessment evinced a certain construct validity; and 2) The assessment successfully identified two characteristic groups of students, a) those who had a weak working memory and were specifically poor at writing, listening, and reading at the same time, and b) students who found it difficult to concentrate on the very act of language processing. It is thus reasonable to assume that the devised assessment may be used to identify such students in a large group of learners.