# Impact of heritage language on bilingual children's path to English literacy (Diversity Supplement R01 HD092498)

> **NIH NIH R01** · UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN AT ANN ARBOR · 2020 · $79,153

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT
Reading is one of the most important skills learned in early childhood. Unfortunately, bilingual learners in the
US often fail to meet national standards in reading achievement (Hemphill, 2011). This proposal seeks to
understand how bilingualism affects child literacy to advance science and inform individualized approaches to
reading instruction and precision treatment of dyslexia for the growing numbers of young US bilinguals.
The study's primary objective is to explain the effects of bilingualism on children's neural architecture for
learning to read. This proposal advances current literacy perspectives (Lexical Quality Model; Perfetti & Hart,
2002) suggesting that learning to read requires the interaction between the neurocognitive systems linking
children's representations of word sounds, meanings and orthographic forms so children can form sound-to-
print and meaning-to-print associations. However, different languages put more emphasis on different
associations. Learning to read in Spanish prompts children to form stronger sound-to-print associations, while
Chinese literacy prompts children to form stronger meaning-to-print associations. We draw upon this cross-
linguistic evidence to examine bilingualism through the guiding hypothesis that bilinguals' developing
neurocognitive systems are affected by their proficiency with characteristics of the languages being acquired.
To test this hypothesis, we will use behavioral and functional Near Infrared Spectroscopy (fNIRS)
neuroimaging measures in each of the children's languages, testing Chinese-English bilinguals, Spanish-
English bilinguals and English monolinguals ages 6–9 (N=300). We will also test a subset of these children
longitudinally (N=150). All children will be attending English-only schools. The bilingual children will vary in
heritage literacy instruction received at home or through partnering afterschool programs. Aim 1 is to
determine how bilingualism impacts children's neural architecture for learning to read. Aim 2 is to map the
neurocognitive trajectory for learning to read for the bilingual child. This theory-guided approach will provide a
solid empirical basis to (1) uncover neurocognitive processes that support emergent English literacy in bilingual
contexts; (2) inform theories of learning to read by providing principled evidence on bilingual acquisition of
typologically-contrasting languages; (3) specify individual differences in the development of phonological and
semantic literacy pathways critical to reading success. Such understanding will allow us to draw inferences
about cross-linguistic learning experiences and sources of variation in bilinguals' strengths and weaknesses in
learning to read in English. Taken together, the comprehensive behavioral and neuroimaging evidence on
emergent dual-language and reading competence will provide rich information to inform theory, educational
practices, and clinical approaches for a growing number of you...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10015715
- **Project number:** 3R01HD092498-03S1
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN AT ANN ARBOR
- **Principal Investigator:** Ioulia Kovelman
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $79,153
- **Award type:** 3
- **Project period:** 2018-07-02 → 2023-04-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10015715

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10015715, Impact of heritage language on bilingual children's path to English literacy (Diversity Supplement R01 HD092498) (3R01HD092498-03S1). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-24 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10015715. Licensed CC0.

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