The Impact of English as an Additional Language on Young Pupils’ Reading Skills: A Case Study of Oak Tree Primary School

Abstract

The study aimed at exploring the impact of English as an additional language on EAL pupils’ reading skills at Key Stage 2 at Oak Tree Primary School (Birmingham, Britain) with a view to identifying whether English as an additional language presents a barrier to the development of EAL young pupils’ reading skills, the strategies used to support EAL young pupils to develop their reading skills, and how effective these strategies are in this regard. The study, which employed the qualitative approach, involved collecting data through semi-structured interviews with the EAL pupils’ class teacher and the ESL mentor, observation of three Arab EAL young pupils at Key Stage 2, and documentary analysis of the school’s EAL policy. The study revealed that the EAL young pupils could make some progress in reading through one-to-one support from staff and by being provided with well-developed resources. In spite of this, EAL pupils still underperform in comparison with their native English-speaking counterparts. The findings rationalized providing EAL pupils with bilingual support to help them overcome their reading difficulties