Cross‐Linguistic Shareability of Word Recognition Skills Among Chinese‐Speaking English Learners: A Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Model

Abstract This study examined the cross‐linguistic shareability of word recognition skills with a partial least squares structural equation model. A total of 199 Chinese‐speaking English learners were measured on their first (L1) and second language (L2) word form analysis skills (orthographic, phonological, and morphological processing skills) and L2 word recognition. The analysis demonstrated that (a) at the construct level, these L1 word form analysis skills systematically transferred to the corresponding L2 skills; (b) however, at the outcome level, their transfer to L2 word recognition differed: L1 phonological processing skills affected L2 word recognition directly and indirectly via L2 phonological processing skills, and L1 orthographic and morphological processing only indirectly affected L2 word recognition. We argued that there were fundamental differences in the cross‐linguistic shareability and thus transfer patterns across the word form analysis skills. These differences are crucial to our understanding of reading universals and L2 reading pedagogy.