Cross-linguistic input experience in third language Spanish reading acquisition: an exploration of Chinese learners of Spanish

This study examined the input experience effect of second language (L2) English and third language (L3) Spanish on Spanish reading ability. Thirty-eight adult Chinese learners of Spanish participated in the study and completed a cloze test of Spanish in which reading accuracy and reading time were recorded. A questionnaire about Spanish and English input experience was also administered, focusing on both the quantity and quality of input received. The results demonstrated that input qualities were more predictable than input quantities, and the input factors that were more related to reading, promoted reading acquisition more effectively. Notably, qualities of Spanish input exhibited significant correlations with those of English input across the investigated factors. Overall, Spanish input factors accounted for more than 50% of the variance in Spanish reading, while English input factors explained over 40% of it. Specifically, Spanish reading material richness was the only significant indicator for Spanish reading ability, while both English reading material richness and learning app usage contributed significantly to it. The study verified the cross-linguistic input effect on L3 reading acquisition. The qualities of L2 input not only influenced L3 input but also contributed to the improvement of L3 reading ability.