Browsing by Author "Brice, Henry"

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    Individual Differences in Leveraging Regularity in Emergent L2 Readers in Rural Côte d’Ivoire
    (2023-03-29) Brice, Henry; Zinszer, Benjamin; Kablan, Danielle; Tanoh, Fabrice; Nana, Konan; Jasińska, Kaja
    Purpose: Statistical learning (SL) approaches to reading maintain that proficient reading requires assimilation of the rich statistical regularities in the writing system. Reading skills in developing first- and second-language readers in English have been shown to be predicted by individual differences in sensitivity to statistical regularities in orthography and semantics, with good readers relying more on orthographic consistency, and less on semantic associations. However, the study of SL and its relation to reading has been primarily studied in English readers in WEIRD countries, limiting the universality of our theories. Method: We examine individual differences in sensitivity to regularities utilising a word naming task in emergent French readers in rural communities in Côte d’Ivoire (N=134). Results: We show that, in contrast to previous studies, in our cohort better readers leverage semantic associations more strongly, while individual differences in sensitivity to orthographic consistency did not predict reading skill. Relatively little variance in reading skill was explained by sensitivity to these regularities. Conclusion: This showcases the importance of cross-linguistic and cross-cultural research to back up universal theories of literacy, and suggests that current SL accounts of reading must be updated to account for this variance in reading skills.
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    Risk and resilience factors for primary school dropout in Côte d’Ivoire
    (2022-10-18) Wortsman,. Brooke; Capani, Angela; Brice, Henry; Ball, Mary-Claire; Zinszer, Benjamin; Tanoh, Fabrice; Akpe, Yapo, Hermann; Ogan, Amy; Wolf, Sharon; Jasińska, Kaja
    We examined child-, family-, and school-level risk and resilience factors associated with dropout using longitudinal data of fifth-grade students in rural Côte d’Ivoire (N=1195, Mage=10.75, SDage=1.42). Children who dropped out were older, involved in more child labour, had poorer literacy, owned fewer books, and attended schools with poorer learning environments. Cumulative risk (CR) indices revealed that child-level CR most strongly predicted dropout (b=-0.86, OR=0.42); further, children with low child-level CR were more likely to drop out when family-level CR was high (b=0.23, OR=1.25). Better school infrastructure and teachers were protective for children who were at high risk of dropout yet remained enrolled. Although child- and family-level factors contribute to risk of dropout, school-level factors may mitigate risks and promote academic resilience amongst students in West Africa.
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    Variability in the age of schooling contributes to the link between literacy and numeracy in Côte d’Ivoire (Draft)
    (2022-09-19) Whitehead, Hannah; Ball, Mary-Claire; Brice, Henry; Wolf, Sharon; Kembou, Samuel; Ogan, Amy; Jasińska, Kaja
    Literacy and numeracy are correlated throughout development, however our understanding of this relation is limited. We explored the predictors of literacy and numeracy covariance (i.e., shared fluency between literacy and numeracy) in children (N=1167, girls=563) in rural Côte d’Ivoire, with specific focus on how developmental timing of instruction may relate to covariance. Many Ivorian children experience late enrollment and grade repetition, leading to variation in age-for-grade; participants were between grades 1 to 6 but their ages ranged from 5 to 15 (M=9.19, SD=2.07). Phonological awareness, numerical magnitude, ordinality, working memory, and inhibitory control were cognitive predictors of covariance. Age-for-grade was negatively related to covariance suggesting that covariance is related to timing of instruction.