English as a second language reading ability. What are the factors that allow a native Spanish speaking person to understand and read English? A study published in the Bilingual Research Journal (Summer 2006) investigated the relationship of Spanish (first language) grammatical knowledge to English (second language) reading. The study involved a sample of n = 55 native Spanish-speaking adults who were students in an English as a second language (ESL) college class. Each student took four standardized exams: Spanish grammar (SG), Spanish reading (SR), English grammar (EG), and English reading (ESLR). Simple linear regressions were used to model the ESLR score (y) as a function of each of the other exam scores (x). The results are summarized in the table.
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Independent variable (x)
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p-value for testing H0: β1 = 0
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SG score
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.739
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SR score
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.012
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ER score
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.022
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(a) At α = .05, is there sufficient evidence to indicate that ESLR score is linearly related to SG score?
(b) At α = .05, is there sufficient evidence to indicate that ESLR score is linearly related to SR score?
(c) At α = .05, is there sufficient evidence to indicate that ESLR score is linearly related to ER score?