# Roles of First and Second Oral Language Processes in Reading and Math Outcomes among English Language Learners in Middle School

> **NIH NIH F31** · UNIVERSITY OF HOUSTON · 2021 · $14,147

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT
Reading and math achievement is closely tied to graduation rates, future employment status, and earning
potential. Students classified as English Language Learners (ELLs) are at higher risk for academic difficulties
than their non-ELL peers. Although the achievement gap between ELLs and non-ELLs increases as students
progress from elementary to middle school, there is a dearth of research that focuses on academic
achievement among ELLs in middle school. Therefore, developing effective assessment, identification, and
intervention approaches for middle school ELLs is a critical problem facing the fields of psychology, education,
and educational policy. One important area of research in this population is investigating the ways in which first
and second oral language processes relate to one another cross-linguistically and to various reading and math
outcomes. Despite progress that has been made in learning disabilities research among monolinguals,
predictive models for reading and math skills among samples of ELLs are scant, particularly models that
consider the roles of first language abilities. Moreover, although there is a great deal of evidence supporting
the role of language in both reading and math, studies often use one measure of language or create one broad
language composite score rather than considering the roles of distinct aspects of language (e.g., expressive,
receptive, vocabulary, syntactic/grammatical knowledge). This research proposal addresses these gaps by
examining (Aim 1) the roles of distinct aspects of oral language skills in different reading outcomes in a cohort
of 7th grade ELLs who are struggling readers. This research will build off of findings from Aim 1 by creating a
more targeted language battery in a second cohort of 7th grade ELLs and exploring (Aim 2) the roles of first
and second language processes in math outcomes, and the ways in which language accounts for the overlap
between reading and math. Finally, Aim 3 seeks to investigate the roles of important language-related
contextual factors such as age of second language exposure and home language context. This work has the
potential to inform theoretical models of learning disabilities among ELLs, as well as theories regarding the
cross-linguistic transfer of language skills. Understanding the ways in which language processes impact
reading and math achievement is important because it is possible that academic interventions may benefit
from integrating specific oral language components. These aims are in line with the National Institute of Child
Health and Human Development's (NICHD) high-priority research goal of better understanding bilingual and
biliteracy development. Carrying out the proposed fellowship research will increase our understanding of
bilingualism and biliteracy among a growing group of at-risk students. In conclusion, the award and completion
of this project will not only provide strong training in research methods and d...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10137090
- **Project number:** 5F31HD098797-03
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF HOUSTON
- **Principal Investigator:** Kelly Macdonald
- **Activity code:** F31 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2021
- **Award amount:** $14,147
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2019-04-01 → 2021-07-05

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10137090

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10137090, Roles of First and Second Oral Language Processes in Reading and Math Outcomes among English Language Learners in Middle School (5F31HD098797-03). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-22 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10137090. Licensed CC0.

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