Considering the fact that in Slovenia English language is already being introduced in the first grade of elementary school as an optional elective subject (OES), and that students begin developing literacy skills in a foreign language in the second or third grade, it makes sense to determine the correlations between better or poorer reading and writing skills in Slovenian as the mother tongue of most students and the reading comprehension of English after learning it for several years as a foreign language, depending on the different text input method (reading, listening, reading while listening).
The correlation between reading and writing skills (phonological awareness, decoding, reading fluency and speed, and correctness of writing) in Slovenian (L1) and in learning English (L2) is poorly researched in Slovenia, while in foreign countries many studies have determined that the level of communication achieved in L1 plays an important role in one's success or unsuccess in assimilating a foreign language. The existing studies focus less on identifying the correlations between literacy skills in the mother tongue and the different methods of text input in a foreign language (reading, listening, reading while listening).
The master's thesis researched whether a correlation exists between the literacy skills in Slovenian and the reading comprehension of English texts, depending on the text input method, in the 6th grade. The survey included 280 6th grade students from different elementary schools in Slovenia. Four different standardized tests for reading comprehension in English and four different individualized reading tasks (the Special Needs Assessment Profile – SNAP) were used.
The results of the tests that measured literacy skills in Slovenian and the results of the English reading comprehension tests show a statistically significant correlation in all three input media (reading, listening and reading while listening) and in all tests. Students achieved the best results when reading, the second best when reading while listening, and the worst results when just listening. This means that the different input media helped students achieve better results on the reading comprehension test. Moreover, girls have achieved better test results on the orthographic skills test than boys.
The results of the research will hopefully contribute to a better understanding of the correlation between the reading and writing ability in one's mother tongue and the reading ability in a foreign language among students who are finishing the second stage of elementary school. Simultaneously, this research will help teachers identify students' problems when learning foreign languages and will help teachers in elementary schools with literacy development, especially by giving emphasis on and importance to reading fluency in Slovenian as the mother tongue and the language of instruction in Slovenian elementary schools.
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