EAL reading growth during and beyond an undergraduate transition program: a 4-year longitudinal eye-movement study.
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| Title: | EAL reading growth during and beyond an undergraduate transition program: a 4-year longitudinal eye-movement study. |
|---|---|
| Authors: | Schmidtke, Daniel1,2 (AUTHOR) schmiddf@mcmaster.ca, Lu, Gwenyth1,2 (AUTHOR), Moro, Anna L.1,2 (AUTHOR) |
| Source: | Reading & Writing. May2026, Vol. 39 Issue 5, p1577-1601. 25p. |
| Subject Terms: | *Silent reading, *Reading comprehension, *Second language acquisition, *Phonological decoding, Eye movements |
| Abstract: | Previous research has shown that the reading abilities of learners of English as an additional language (EALs) become stronger during pre-sessional English for academic purposes (EAP) programs. However, it is not known what happens to the reading abilities of this population once they transition to undergraduate study. We report a longitudinal study in which EAL reading skills, including eye movements during silent reading, were tracked over a period of 50 months (4 years and 2 months) across three timepoints. The study timeframe spanned two critical phases: a 6-month period covering the delivery of a pre-sessional EAP program (Phase 1), and the subsequent 44-month period between the end of EAP instruction and the final year of undergraduate study (Phase 2). Data was collected on a range of reading and reading-related skills, including eye-movement measures of silent reading fluency, passage comprehension, receptive vocabulary, and phonological processing. Results of piecewise linear mixed-effects regression models showed that although select measures, such as vocabulary and reading comprehension, continued to grow after EAP instruction, the rate of change for all measures was greater during EAP instruction compared to undergraduate study. Moreover, reading skill growth measured during EAP instruction predicted reading performance over 3 and a half years later. Results from hierarchical regression modelling show that Phase 1 change in reading skills contributed significantly to end-of-degree ability for virtually all reading measures, an effect that holds even when baseline ability is controlled for. This study provides the first comprehensive picture of reading development across EAP instruction and beyond. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] |
| Copyright of Reading & Writing is the property of Springer Nature and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.) | |
| Database: | Education Research Complete |
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| Header | DbId: ehh DbLabel: Education Research Complete An: 193563717 AccessLevel: 6 PubType: Academic Journal PubTypeId: academicJournal PreciseRelevancyScore: 0 |
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| Items | – Name: Title Label: Title Group: Ti Data: EAL reading growth during and beyond an undergraduate transition program: a 4-year longitudinal eye-movement study. – Name: Author Label: Authors Group: Au Data: <searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Schmidtke%2C+Daniel%22">Schmidtke, Daniel</searchLink><relatesTo>1,2</relatesTo> (AUTHOR)<i> schmiddf@mcmaster.ca</i><br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Lu%2C+Gwenyth%22">Lu, Gwenyth</searchLink><relatesTo>1,2</relatesTo> (AUTHOR)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Moro%2C+Anna+L%2E%22">Moro, Anna L.</searchLink><relatesTo>1,2</relatesTo> (AUTHOR) – Name: TitleSource Label: Source Group: Src Data: <searchLink fieldCode="JN" term="%22Reading+%26+Writing%22">Reading & Writing</searchLink>. May2026, Vol. 39 Issue 5, p1577-1601. 25p. – Name: Subject Label: Subject Terms Group: Su Data: *<searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Silent+reading%22">Silent reading</searchLink><br />*<searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Reading+comprehension%22">Reading comprehension</searchLink><br />*<searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Second+language+acquisition%22">Second language acquisition</searchLink><br />*<searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Phonological+decoding%22">Phonological decoding</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Eye+movements%22">Eye movements</searchLink> – Name: Abstract Label: Abstract Group: Ab Data: Previous research has shown that the reading abilities of learners of English as an additional language (EALs) become stronger during pre-sessional English for academic purposes (EAP) programs. However, it is not known what happens to the reading abilities of this population once they transition to undergraduate study. We report a longitudinal study in which EAL reading skills, including eye movements during silent reading, were tracked over a period of 50 months (4 years and 2 months) across three timepoints. The study timeframe spanned two critical phases: a 6-month period covering the delivery of a pre-sessional EAP program (Phase 1), and the subsequent 44-month period between the end of EAP instruction and the final year of undergraduate study (Phase 2). Data was collected on a range of reading and reading-related skills, including eye-movement measures of silent reading fluency, passage comprehension, receptive vocabulary, and phonological processing. Results of piecewise linear mixed-effects regression models showed that although select measures, such as vocabulary and reading comprehension, continued to grow after EAP instruction, the rate of change for all measures was greater during EAP instruction compared to undergraduate study. Moreover, reading skill growth measured during EAP instruction predicted reading performance over 3 and a half years later. Results from hierarchical regression modelling show that Phase 1 change in reading skills contributed significantly to end-of-degree ability for virtually all reading measures, an effect that holds even when baseline ability is controlled for. This study provides the first comprehensive picture of reading development across EAP instruction and beyond. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] – Name: AbstractSuppliedCopyright Label: Group: Ab Data: <i>Copyright of Reading & Writing is the property of Springer Nature and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract.</i> (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.) |
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| RecordInfo | BibRecord: BibEntity: Identifiers: – Type: doi Value: 10.1007/s11145-025-10664-6 Languages: – Code: eng Text: English PhysicalDescription: Pagination: PageCount: 25 StartPage: 1577 Subjects: – SubjectFull: Silent reading Type: general – SubjectFull: Reading comprehension Type: general – SubjectFull: Second language acquisition Type: general – SubjectFull: Phonological decoding Type: general – SubjectFull: Eye movements Type: general Titles: – TitleFull: EAL reading growth during and beyond an undergraduate transition program: a 4-year longitudinal eye-movement study. Type: main BibRelationships: HasContributorRelationships: – PersonEntity: Name: NameFull: Schmidtke, Daniel – PersonEntity: Name: NameFull: Lu, Gwenyth – PersonEntity: Name: NameFull: Moro, Anna L. IsPartOfRelationships: – BibEntity: Dates: – D: 01 M: 05 Text: May2026 Type: published Y: 2026 Identifiers: – Type: issn-print Value: 09224777 Numbering: – Type: volume Value: 39 – Type: issue Value: 5 Titles: – TitleFull: Reading & Writing Type: main |
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