This is a large-scale 5-year neuroimaging study in looking at how children learning two languages learn to read from kindergarten to 3rd grade in immersion programs. Our participants include Spanish and Cantonese speakers learning to read in English and in their native languages, and English speakers learning to read in English as well as Spanish or Cantonese. The theoretical goal is to test and evaluate models of literacy acquisition through behavioral assessments and neuro-imaging techniques. In addition, we are studying the impact that learning multiple languages may have on cognition.

Funded by NICHD. R01HD078351

Collaborators: Dr. Fumiko Hoeft (UCSF/UConn), Dr. Ioulia Kovelman (University of Michigan), Dr. Genevieve Leung (University of San Francisco)

Publications:

Li, H., Kepinska, O., Caballero, J.N., Zekelman, L., Marks, R., Uchikoshi, Y., Kovelman, I., Hoeft, F. (2021). Decoding the role of the cerebellum in the early stages of reading acquisition. Cortex. DOI: 10.1016/j.cortex.2021.02.033

Haft, S.L., Caballero, J.N., Tanaka, H., Zekelman, L., Cutting, L.E., Uchikoshi, Y., & Hoeft, F. (2019). Direct and indirect contributions of executive function to word decoding and reading comprehension in kindergarten.  Learning and Individual Differences.  https://doi.org/10.1016/j.lindif.2019.101783

Marks, R.A., Kovelman, I., Kepinska, O., Oliver, M., Xia, Z., Haft, S.L., Zekelman, L., Duong, P., Uchikoshi, Y., Hancock, R., & Hoeft, F. (2019). Spoken language proficiency predicts print-speech convergence in beginning readers. NeuroImage.