Yes Jay--  there is literature about that advantage.   Many recommend 
tht literacy happen in first language if at all possible.  The 
transferability of phonological skills that accrue through gaining 
literacy is considered to be very high.  Thus becoming literate in one 
language supports gaining literacy in another--College students who 
start a foreign language in college are expected in two semesters 
(roughly 160 hours of instruction) to be able to converse at about SPL 
3 ( basic and highly grammatically correct conversations about everyday 
topics), read literature in that language and write brief compositions 
in that language.  Compare that with the progress of someone who has 
low level literacy--or none at all-- in 160 hours of 
instruction.......The outcome would be very different.   Robin Schwarz

-----Original Message-----
From: JMCAST1031 at aol.com
To: englishlanguage at nifl.gov
Sent: Mon, 6 Feb 2006 18:55:10 EST
Subject: [EnglishLanguage] FROM  JAY CASTANO AT ROSARIO CENTER, IN 
WASHINGTON, DC

    Hi, everyone...... a  "quick and dirty" question.  Is there any 
research on teaching
Adult  LD  or  illiterate students in their own language for a semester 
or  100 hours, before
immersion into English????   Basically, if the student learns how to 
read and write and/or
decode in their language,  is that a benefit to them in their process 
of learning English???
 
Thanks,   Jay

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