This study investigated the role of early general knowledge in English reading growth of bilingual and monolingual students in the elementary years by using the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study, Kindergarten Class data set. The analyses of latent growth models showed that the estimated gap in English reading between students who started school with higher general knowledge and students who started school with lower general knowledge increased throughout the elementary years in both language groups. Early general knowledge consistently predicted English reading growth in the subsample of bilingual students even after accounting for early decoding skills and English proficiency. The findings on the role of early general knowledge in English reading growth are discussed in relation to research and practice.

中文翻译：

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早期常识预测双语和单语学生在整个小学阶段的英语阅读增长

本研究使用幼儿纵向研究，幼儿园班级数据集，调查了早期常识对双语和单语学生小学英语阅读成长的作用。潜在增长模型的分析表明，在这两个语言组的小学阶段，一般知识较高的学生和一般知识较低的学生在英语阅读方面的估计差距在整个小学阶段都在增加。即使考虑到早期的解码技能和英语熟练程度，早期的一般知识仍能预测双语学生子样本的英语阅读增长。结合研究和实践讨论了早期常识在英语阅读成长中的作用的发现。