Effects of German reading skills and bilingualism on early learning of English as a foreign language in primary school children

The present study investigates how reading fluency in German, and monolingual versus bilingual language background influence the learning of English as a foreign language (EFL) in primary school. Data of 83 monolingual and bilingual children with varying degrees of German reading skills (including children with dyslexia) were analyzed after they had learned EFL for 1 year. The results showed that lower German reading fluency-but not bilingualism-was associated with poorer English skills. The results suggest that risk factors leading to poor reading skills (including dyslexia) also negatively impact foreign language learning.