Cognitive assessment of literacy learning difficulties in adult non- or low-literate second language learners

The population of non- or low-literate adult immigrants studying a new language is large and growing in many countries. The aim of this study was to develop and validate a new instrument for the assessment of cognitive impairment that may hinder literacy learning in adult non- or low-literate L2 learners, the Cognitive Assessment of Literacy Learning Difficulties (CALL), in a language center setting. This was a case-control study in which the CALL was validated in adult non- or low-literate students, or students who were not literate in the Latin alphabet, in nine Danish language centers. Educator classification of students with very slow progression in learning basic Danish literacy was used as a benchmark for literacy learning difficulties. Classification was further based on the number of lessons participants had required to pass tests during Danish language program levels. An acceptable discriminative validity (AUC 0.76; specificity 0.94, sensitivity 0.64) for literacy learning difficulties (n = 32) versus schooling and sex matched control participants (n = 28) was found. In comparison, years of formal schooling had an AUC of 0.58. Age had a small effect on the ability of the CALL to predict literacy learning difficulties (OR = 1.097, p = 0.013), whereas sex and years of schooling did not. CALL was found to be a valid instrument for identification of cognitive impairment that may hinder literacy learning in adult non- or low-literate L2 learners in a Danish language center setting.