Akpé H.

2 Publications in AERD

Author Publications

Does Nonlinguistic Segmentation Predict Literacy in Second Language Education? Statistical Learning in Ivorian Primary Schools

By Kouadio A.E.

Statistical learning is a learning mechanism that does not directly depend on knowledge of a language but predicts language and literacy outcomes for children and adults. Research linking statistical learning and literacy has not addressed a common educational context in primary schools worldwide: children who first learn to read in their second language (L2). Several studies have linked statistical learning with childhood literacy in Australia, China, Europe, and the United States, and we preregistered an adaptation for Côte d'Ivoire, where students are educated in French and speak a local language at home. We recruited 117 sixth-graders from primary schools in several villages and tested for correlations greater than.30 between statistical learning and literacy with 80–90% power. We found no evidence for these correlations between statistical learning and literacy, but visual statistical learning was correlated with L2 phonological awareness, a crucial emergent-literacy skill. This finding underscores the need to include L2 acquisition contexts in literacy research. © 2023 Language Learning Research Club, University of Michigan.

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Is a Phone-Based Language and Literacy Assessment a Reliable and Valid Measure of Children's Reading Skills in Low-Resource Settings?

By N'Goh K.A.N.

Technology-based remote research methods are increasingly widespread, including learning assessments in child development and education research. However, little is known about whether technology-based remote assessments remain as valid and reliable as in-person assessments. We developed a low-cost phone-based language and literacy assessment for primary-school children in low-resource communities in rural Côte d'Ivoire using voice calls and SMS. We compared the reliability and validity of this phone-based assessment to an established in-person assessment. A total of 685 5th grade children completed language (phonological awareness, vocabulary, language comprehension) and literacy (letter, word, pseudoword, passage reading, and comprehension) tasks in-person and by phone. Reliability (internal consistency) and predictive validity were high across in-person and phone-based tasks. Children's performance across in-person and phone-based assessments was moderately to strongly correlated. Phonological awareness and vocabulary skills measured in-person and by phone significantly predicted in-person and phone-based letter, word, and pseudoword reading. Oral language and decoding skills measured in-person and by phone significantly predicted in-person and phone-based passage reading and comprehension. Our phone-based assessment was a reliable and valid measure of language and reading and feasible for low-resource settings. Low-cost technologies offer significant potential to measure children's learning remotely, increasing the inclusion of remote and low-resource populations in education research. © 2023 The Authors. Reading Research Quarterly published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of International Literacy Association.

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