Rethinking First Language–Second Language Similarities and Differences in English Proficiency: Insights From the ENglish Reading Online (ENRO) Project

Noam Siegelman; Irina Elgort; Marc Brysbaert; Niket Agrawal; Simona Amenta; Jasmina Arsenijević Mijalković; Christine S. Chang; Daria Chernova; Fabienne Chetail; A. J.Benjamin Clarke; Alain Content; Davide Crepaldi; Nastag Davaabold; Shurentsetseg Delgersuren; Avital Deutsch; Veronika Dibrova; Denis Drieghe; Dušica Filipović Đurđević; Brittany Finch; Ram Frost; Carolina A. Gattei; Esther Geva; Aline Godfroid; Lindsay Griener; Esteban Hernández-Rivera; Anastasia Ivanenko; Juhani Järvikivi; Lea Kawaletz; Anurag Khare; Jun Ren Lee; Charlotte E. Lee; Christina Manouilidou; Marco Marelli; Timur Mashanlo; Ksenija Mišić; Koji Miwa; Pauline Palma; Ingo Plag; Zoya Rezanova; Enkhzaya Riimed; Jay Rueckl; Sascha Schroeder; Irina A. Sekerina; Diego E. Shalom; Natalia Slioussar; Neža Marija Slosar; Vanessa Taler; Kim Thériault; Debra Titone; Odonchimeg Tumee; Ross van de Wetering; Ark Verma; Anna Fiona Weiss; Denise Hsien Wu; Victor Kuperman

doi:10.1111/lang.12586

Rethinking First Language–Second Language Similarities and Differences in English Proficiency: Insights From the ENglish Reading Online (ENRO) Project

Noam Siegelman^*, Irina Elgort, Marc Brysbaert, Niket Agrawal, Simona Amenta, Jasmina Arsenijević Mijalković, Christine S. Chang, Daria Chernova, Fabienne Chetail, A. J.Benjamin Clarke, Alain Content, Davide Crepaldi, Nastag Davaabold, Shurentsetseg Delgersuren, Avital Deutsch, Veronika Dibrova, Denis Drieghe, Dušica Filipović Đurđević, Brittany Finch, Ram FrostCarolina A. Gattei, Esther Geva, Aline Godfroid, Lindsay Griener, Esteban Hernández-Rivera, Anastasia Ivanenko, Juhani Järvikivi, Lea Kawaletz, Anurag Khare, Jun Ren Lee, Charlotte E. Lee, Christina Manouilidou, Marco Marelli, Timur Mashanlo, Ksenija Mišić, Koji Miwa, Pauline Palma, Ingo Plag, Zoya Rezanova, Enkhzaya Riimed, Jay Rueckl, Sascha Schroeder, Irina A. Sekerina, Diego E. Shalom, Natalia Slioussar, Neža Marija Slosar, Vanessa Taler, Kim Thériault, Debra Titone, Odonchimeg Tumee, Ross van de Wetering, Ark Verma, Anna Fiona Weiss, Denise Hsien Wu, Victor Kuperman

^*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

Abstract

This article presents the ENglish Reading Online (ENRO) project that offers data on English reading and listening comprehension from 7,338 university-level advanced learners and native speakers of English representing 19 countries. The database also includes estimates of reading rate and seven component skills of English, including vocabulary, spelling, and grammar, as well as rich demographic and language background data. We first demonstrate high reliability for ENRO tests and their convergent validity with existing meta-analyses. We then provide a bird's-eye view of first (L1) and second (L2) language comparisons and examine the relative role of various predictors of reading and listening comprehension and reading speed. Across analyses, we found substantially more overlap than differences between L1 and L2 speakers, suggesting that English reading proficiency is best considered across a continuum of skill, ability, and experiences spanning L1 and L2 speakers alike. We end by providing pointers for how researchers can mine ENRO data for future studies.

Original language	American English
Journal	Language Learning
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1111/lang.12586
State	Accepted/In press - 2023

Bibliographical note

Funding Information:
All data are available through the Open Science Framework repository ( https://osf.io/gzyqf ). Other than the first three and the last author, the order of authors is alphabetical. We wish to thank the following individuals: Nadine Abdelrahman, Blake Anderson, Alexander Dolge, Monica Fantini, Madison Lester, Yue Yu Liao, Chih‐Tsen Liu, Yaara Loyfer, Iva Štefanija Slosar, Roni Stein, and Paul Warren. Research reported in this publication was supported by the following grants: a Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada Partnered Research Training Grant, 895‐2016‐1008 (PI: G. Libben); a Canada Research Chair (Tier 2; PI: V. Kuperman); a Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada Insight Grant, 435‐2021‐0657 (PI: V. Kuperman); an Azrieli Early Career Faculty Fellowship (PI: N. Siegelman); a Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada Discovery Grant (PI: D. Titone); the Russian Science Foundation, #21‐18‐00429 (PI: N. Slioussar); the Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur; the Ministry of Education, Science and Technological Development of the Republic of Serbia, #451‐03‐9/2021‐14/200163; the Israel Science Foundation, #705/20 (PI: R. Frost); a Faculty Research Grant, Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, Victoria University of Wellington, #226239 (PI: I. Elgort); a Professional Staff Congress‐City University of New York Award, #64464‐00‐52 (PI: I. A. Sekerina); the Chinese Language and Technology Center of National Taiwan Normal University (PI: Y. T. Sung); the Tomsk State University Development Programme (Priority2030); the Italian Ministry of Education and Research, #2017W8HFRX (PIs: V. Pirrelli & D. Crepaldi); and the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, #HD091013 (PI: D. Compton).

Publisher Copyright:
© 2023 The Authors. Language Learning published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of Language Learning Research Club, University of Michigan.

Keywords

bilingualism
cross-linguistic research
open science
reading
second language proficiency

Access to Document

10.1111/lang.12586

Cite this

Siegelman, N., Elgort, I., Brysbaert, M., Agrawal, N., Amenta, S., Arsenijević Mijalković, J., Chang, C. S., Chernova, D., Chetail, F., Clarke, A. J. B., Content, A., Crepaldi, D., Davaabold, N., Delgersuren, S., Deutsch, A., Dibrova, V., Drieghe, D., Filipović Đurđević, D., Finch, B., ... Kuperman, V. (Accepted/In press). Rethinking First Language–Second Language Similarities and Differences in English Proficiency: Insights From the ENglish Reading Online (ENRO) Project. Language Learning. https://doi.org/10.1111/lang.12586

@article{208455b04d0841148040ab3181372356,

title = "Rethinking First Language–Second Language Similarities and Differences in English Proficiency: Insights From the ENglish Reading Online (ENRO) Project",

abstract = "This article presents the ENglish Reading Online (ENRO) project that offers data on English reading and listening comprehension from 7,338 university-level advanced learners and native speakers of English representing 19 countries. The database also includes estimates of reading rate and seven component skills of English, including vocabulary, spelling, and grammar, as well as rich demographic and language background data. We first demonstrate high reliability for ENRO tests and their convergent validity with existing meta-analyses. We then provide a bird's-eye view of first (L1) and second (L2) language comparisons and examine the relative role of various predictors of reading and listening comprehension and reading speed. Across analyses, we found substantially more overlap than differences between L1 and L2 speakers, suggesting that English reading proficiency is best considered across a continuum of skill, ability, and experiences spanning L1 and L2 speakers alike. We end by providing pointers for how researchers can mine ENRO data for future studies.",

keywords = "bilingualism, cross-linguistic research, open science, reading, second language proficiency",

author = "Noam Siegelman and Irina Elgort and Marc Brysbaert and Niket Agrawal and Simona Amenta and {Arsenijevi{\'c} Mijalkovi{\'c}}, Jasmina and Chang, {Christine S.} and Daria Chernova and Fabienne Chetail and Clarke, {A. J.Benjamin} and Alain Content and Davide Crepaldi and Nastag Davaabold and Shurentsetseg Delgersuren and Avital Deutsch and Veronika Dibrova and Denis Drieghe and {Filipovi{\'c} {\D}ur{\d}evi{\'c}}, Du{\v s}ica and Brittany Finch and Ram Frost and Gattei, {Carolina A.} and Esther Geva and Aline Godfroid and Lindsay Griener and Esteban Hern{\'a}ndez-Rivera and Anastasia Ivanenko and Juhani J{\"a}rvikivi and Lea Kawaletz and Anurag Khare and Lee, {Jun Ren} and Lee, {Charlotte E.} and Christina Manouilidou and Marco Marelli and Timur Mashanlo and Ksenija Mi{\v s}i{\'c} and Koji Miwa and Pauline Palma and Ingo Plag and Zoya Rezanova and Enkhzaya Riimed and Jay Rueckl and Sascha Schroeder and Sekerina, {Irina A.} and Shalom, {Diego E.} and Natalia Slioussar and Slosar, {Ne{\v z}a Marija} and Vanessa Taler and Kim Th{\'e}riault and Debra Titone and Odonchimeg Tumee and Wetering, {Ross van de} and Ark Verma and Weiss, {Anna Fiona} and Wu, {Denise Hsien} and Victor Kuperman",

note = "Funding Information: All data are available through the Open Science Framework repository ( https://osf.io/gzyqf ). Other than the first three and the last author, the order of authors is alphabetical. We wish to thank the following individuals: Nadine Abdelrahman, Blake Anderson, Alexander Dolge, Monica Fantini, Madison Lester, Yue Yu Liao, Chih‐Tsen Liu, Yaara Loyfer, Iva {\v S}tefanija Slosar, Roni Stein, and Paul Warren. Research reported in this publication was supported by the following grants: a Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada Partnered Research Training Grant, 895‐2016‐1008 (PI: G. Libben); a Canada Research Chair (Tier 2; PI: V. Kuperman); a Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada Insight Grant, 435‐2021‐0657 (PI: V. Kuperman); an Azrieli Early Career Faculty Fellowship (PI: N. Siegelman); a Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada Discovery Grant (PI: D. Titone); the Russian Science Foundation, #21‐18‐00429 (PI: N. Slioussar); the Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur; the Ministry of Education, Science and Technological Development of the Republic of Serbia, #451‐03‐9/2021‐14/200163; the Israel Science Foundation, #705/20 (PI: R. Frost); a Faculty Research Grant, Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, Victoria University of Wellington, #226239 (PI: I. Elgort); a Professional Staff Congress‐City University of New York Award, #64464‐00‐52 (PI: I. A. Sekerina); the Chinese Language and Technology Center of National Taiwan Normal University (PI: Y. T. Sung); the Tomsk State University Development Programme (Priority2030); the Italian Ministry of Education and Research, #2017W8HFRX (PIs: V. Pirrelli & D. Crepaldi); and the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, #HD091013 (PI: D. Compton). Publisher Copyright: {\textcopyright} 2023 The Authors. Language Learning published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of Language Learning Research Club, University of Michigan.",

year = "2023",

doi = "10.1111/lang.12586",

language = "American English",

journal = "Language Learning",

issn = "0023-8333",

publisher = "Wiley-Blackwell Publishing Ltd",

}

Siegelman, N, Elgort, I, Brysbaert, M, Agrawal, N, Amenta, S, Arsenijević Mijalković, J, Chang, CS, Chernova, D, Chetail, F, Clarke, AJB, Content, A, Crepaldi, D, Davaabold, N, Delgersuren, S, Deutsch, A, Dibrova, V, Drieghe, D, Filipović Đurđević, D, Finch, B, Frost, R, Gattei, CA, Geva, E, Godfroid, A, Griener, L, Hernández-Rivera, E, Ivanenko, A, Järvikivi, J, Kawaletz, L, Khare, A, Lee, JR, Lee, CE, Manouilidou, C, Marelli, M, Mashanlo, T, Mišić, K, Miwa, K, Palma, P, Plag, I, Rezanova, Z, Riimed, E, Rueckl, J, Schroeder, S, Sekerina, IA, Shalom, DE, Slioussar, N, Slosar, NM, Taler, V, Thériault, K, Titone, D, Tumee, O, Wetering, RVD, Verma, A, Weiss, AF, Wu, DH & Kuperman, V 2023, 'Rethinking First Language–Second Language Similarities and Differences in English Proficiency: Insights From the ENglish Reading Online (ENRO) Project', Language Learning. https://doi.org/10.1111/lang.12586

TY - JOUR

T1 - Rethinking First Language–Second Language Similarities and Differences in English Proficiency

T2 - Insights From the ENglish Reading Online (ENRO) Project

AU - Siegelman, Noam

AU - Elgort, Irina

AU - Brysbaert, Marc

AU - Agrawal, Niket

AU - Amenta, Simona

AU - Arsenijević Mijalković, Jasmina

AU - Chang, Christine S.

AU - Chernova, Daria

AU - Chetail, Fabienne

AU - Clarke, A. J.Benjamin

AU - Content, Alain

AU - Crepaldi, Davide

AU - Davaabold, Nastag

AU - Delgersuren, Shurentsetseg

AU - Deutsch, Avital

AU - Dibrova, Veronika

AU - Drieghe, Denis

AU - Filipović Đurđević, Dušica

AU - Finch, Brittany

AU - Frost, Ram

AU - Gattei, Carolina A.

AU - Geva, Esther

AU - Godfroid, Aline

AU - Griener, Lindsay

AU - Hernández-Rivera, Esteban

AU - Ivanenko, Anastasia

AU - Järvikivi, Juhani

AU - Kawaletz, Lea

AU - Khare, Anurag

AU - Lee, Jun Ren

AU - Lee, Charlotte E.

AU - Manouilidou, Christina

AU - Marelli, Marco

AU - Mashanlo, Timur

AU - Mišić, Ksenija

AU - Miwa, Koji

AU - Palma, Pauline

AU - Plag, Ingo

AU - Rezanova, Zoya

AU - Riimed, Enkhzaya

AU - Rueckl, Jay

AU - Schroeder, Sascha

AU - Sekerina, Irina A.

AU - Shalom, Diego E.

AU - Slioussar, Natalia

AU - Slosar, Neža Marija

AU - Taler, Vanessa

AU - Thériault, Kim

AU - Titone, Debra

AU - Tumee, Odonchimeg

AU - Wetering, Ross van de

AU - Verma, Ark

AU - Weiss, Anna Fiona

AU - Wu, Denise Hsien

AU - Kuperman, Victor

N1 - Funding Information: All data are available through the Open Science Framework repository ( https://osf.io/gzyqf ). Other than the first three and the last author, the order of authors is alphabetical. We wish to thank the following individuals: Nadine Abdelrahman, Blake Anderson, Alexander Dolge, Monica Fantini, Madison Lester, Yue Yu Liao, Chih‐Tsen Liu, Yaara Loyfer, Iva Štefanija Slosar, Roni Stein, and Paul Warren. Research reported in this publication was supported by the following grants: a Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada Partnered Research Training Grant, 895‐2016‐1008 (PI: G. Libben); a Canada Research Chair (Tier 2; PI: V. Kuperman); a Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada Insight Grant, 435‐2021‐0657 (PI: V. Kuperman); an Azrieli Early Career Faculty Fellowship (PI: N. Siegelman); a Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada Discovery Grant (PI: D. Titone); the Russian Science Foundation, #21‐18‐00429 (PI: N. Slioussar); the Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur; the Ministry of Education, Science and Technological Development of the Republic of Serbia, #451‐03‐9/2021‐14/200163; the Israel Science Foundation, #705/20 (PI: R. Frost); a Faculty Research Grant, Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, Victoria University of Wellington, #226239 (PI: I. Elgort); a Professional Staff Congress‐City University of New York Award, #64464‐00‐52 (PI: I. A. Sekerina); the Chinese Language and Technology Center of National Taiwan Normal University (PI: Y. T. Sung); the Tomsk State University Development Programme (Priority2030); the Italian Ministry of Education and Research, #2017W8HFRX (PIs: V. Pirrelli & D. Crepaldi); and the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, #HD091013 (PI: D. Compton). Publisher Copyright: © 2023 The Authors. Language Learning published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of Language Learning Research Club, University of Michigan.

PY - 2023

Y1 - 2023

N2 - This article presents the ENglish Reading Online (ENRO) project that offers data on English reading and listening comprehension from 7,338 university-level advanced learners and native speakers of English representing 19 countries. The database also includes estimates of reading rate and seven component skills of English, including vocabulary, spelling, and grammar, as well as rich demographic and language background data. We first demonstrate high reliability for ENRO tests and their convergent validity with existing meta-analyses. We then provide a bird's-eye view of first (L1) and second (L2) language comparisons and examine the relative role of various predictors of reading and listening comprehension and reading speed. Across analyses, we found substantially more overlap than differences between L1 and L2 speakers, suggesting that English reading proficiency is best considered across a continuum of skill, ability, and experiences spanning L1 and L2 speakers alike. We end by providing pointers for how researchers can mine ENRO data for future studies.

AB - This article presents the ENglish Reading Online (ENRO) project that offers data on English reading and listening comprehension from 7,338 university-level advanced learners and native speakers of English representing 19 countries. The database also includes estimates of reading rate and seven component skills of English, including vocabulary, spelling, and grammar, as well as rich demographic and language background data. We first demonstrate high reliability for ENRO tests and their convergent validity with existing meta-analyses. We then provide a bird's-eye view of first (L1) and second (L2) language comparisons and examine the relative role of various predictors of reading and listening comprehension and reading speed. Across analyses, we found substantially more overlap than differences between L1 and L2 speakers, suggesting that English reading proficiency is best considered across a continuum of skill, ability, and experiences spanning L1 and L2 speakers alike. We end by providing pointers for how researchers can mine ENRO data for future studies.

KW - bilingualism

KW - cross-linguistic research

KW - open science

KW - reading

KW - second language proficiency

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85159918246&partnerID=8YFLogxK

U2 - 10.1111/lang.12586

DO - 10.1111/lang.12586

M3 - Article

AN - SCOPUS:85159918246

SN - 0023-8333

JO - Language Learning

JF - Language Learning

ER -

Rethinking First Language–Second Language Similarities and Differences in English Proficiency: Insights From the ENglish Reading Online (ENRO) Project

Abstract

Bibliographical note

Keywords

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