Grant: Canada Research Chairs

Canada has one of the largest newcomer populations in the world (~21%), many of whom are children and young adults who speak a non-official language in the home (Statistics Canada, 2023). Compared to their English- and French-speaking Canadian-born peers, young newcomers are faced with the added challenge of having to navigate a variety of academic, occupational, and social contexts in a weaker developing language. Their transition, integration, and ability to thrive in these contexts are largely dependent on English and/or French functional proficiency skills. While several studies have assessed predictors of oral language proficiency in this population, surprisingly little scientific research has focused on reading performance, despite its centrality to everyday life (e.g., following educational, financial, employment, and medical documents). Given that newcomers have fundamentally different language (and life) experiences compared to Canadian-born individuals, they likely exhibit differences in the behavioural and neural processes that underlie reading. To address this critical gap in the literature, the proposed research will employ eye-tracking and neurophysiological (EEG) methods to investigate the behavioural and neural underpinnings of English and/or French word, sentence, and text reading in newcomer and Canadian-born children (aged 7-12) and young adults (aged 18-30). Reading-related processes (e.g., phonological processing, vocabulary, executive functioning) will also be assessed. With newcomer rates on the rise across New Brunswick and Canada, developing a better understanding of their unique language-learning challenges and the implications for their long-term socio-economic outcomes is paramount. This work represents an important step in this direction, with strong potential to inform evidence-based policies/practices centred on improving child and adult functional literacy rates and bilingual/immersion education programs in New Brunswick and beyond.