title: Impact of dialect use on a basic component of learning to read.
abstract: Can some black-white differences in reading achievement be traced to differences in language background? Many African American children speak a dialect that differs from the mainstream dialect emphasized in school. We examined how use of alternative dialects affects decoding, an important component of early reading and marker of reading development. Behavioral data show that use of the alternative pronunciations of words in different dialects affects reading aloud in developing readers, with larger effects for children who use more African American English (AAE). Mechanisms underlying this effect were explored with a computational model, investigating factors affecting reading acquisition. The results indicate that the achievement gap may be due in part to differences in task complexity: children whose home and school dialects differ are at greater risk for reading difficulties because tasks such as learning to decode are more complex for them.
authors: Program in Communication Sciences and Disorders, Educational Psychology and Special Education, Georgia State University Atlanta, GA, USA.
authors: Megan C
authors: MC
authors: Brown
authors: Psychology, University of Wisconsin-Madison Madison, WI, USA.
authors: Daragh E
authors: DE
authors: Sibley
authors: Program in Communication Sciences and Disorders, Educational Psychology and Special Education, Georgia State University Atlanta, GA, USA.
authors: Julie A
authors: JA
authors: Washington
authors: Psychology, University of Wisconsin-Madison Madison, WI, USA.
authors: Timothy T
authors: TT
authors: Rogers
authors: Communication Sciences and Disorders, University of Wisconsin-Madison Madison, WI, USA.
authors: Jan R
authors: JR
authors: Edwards
authors: Psychology, University of Wisconsin-Madison Madison, WI, USA.
authors: Maryellen C
authors: MC
authors: MacDonald
authors: Psychology, University of Wisconsin-Madison Madison, WI, USA.
authors: Mark S
authors: MS
authors: Seidenberg
keywords: African American English; achievement gap; dialect; reading