Volume 26, Number 2 Summer 2002 ABSTRACTS |
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Helping English Learners Increase Achievement Through Inquiry-Based Science Instruction This study summarizes the results of a four-year project in science education conducted in a rural setting with English learners in grades K–6 in the El Centro Elementary School District in southern California. Data were collected to measure student achievement in science, writing, reading, and mathematics for participating students. These data were analyzed relative to the number of years that students participated in kit- and inquiry-based science instruction that ncluded the use of science notebooks. Results indicated that the achievement of English learners increased in relation to the number of years they participated in the project. The longer they were in the program, the higher their scores were in science, writing, reading, and mathematics. Full Text in PDF Alternative Assessment for Transitional Readers This paper presents an analysis of one district’s performance based assessment of reading comprehension specifically designed for 5th grade transitional bilingual students in their first year of English instruction. In contrast to the common practice of using one assessment measure for all students and modifying assessment conditions for students from diverse backgrounds, they created a new instrument which was administered instead of the district-wide performance based assessment. Findings from the study indicate that: (a) characteristics of second language learning in the areas of phonology, syntax, and semantics were present to varying degrees in l00% of the students’ responses; (b) specific knowledge of the linguistic characteristics of transitional students was necessary for effective interpretation and accurate scoring of student responses; (c) the transitional students demonstrated the ability to comprehend and interpret English texts at inferential levels when assessed on the transitional assessment measure; and (d) the transitional performance-based assessment results suggested to teachers many possible changes they could make in their instruction to meet the literacy needs of transitional students. Full Text in PDF Bilingual Education for All: A Benefits Model for Small Towns The Benefits Model set forth in this article aims to satisfy the key requirements of an inclusive approach to bilingual education, while taking into consideration the special conditions and challenges faced by small cities and towns. The suggested curriculum, which combines bilingual education based on local languages with multicultural education based on a global perspective, is designed to prepare students to craft their own niche along the local-global frontier. In terms of implementation, the main advantages of the model are (a) its staffing is self-sustaining; (b) the translation of teaching materials would not be required; (c) the funding required is comparable to a regular mainstream program; (d) it would attract extensive involvement in K–12 education by local community members; and (e) it has the potential to strengthen the vitality of small towns and rural communities by building on a distinctive sense of place. Full Text in PDF Knowledge of Orthographic Features in Spanish Among Bilingual Children Orthographic features of English spelling can be ordered according to a developmental progression (Viise, 1994). Such features, when scored dichotomously and arranged according to difficulty, form a scale that is unidimensional and cumulative. The purpose of the present study is to determine if similar graphophonemic features exist in Spanish orthography and develop an instrument to assess them. A Test of Spanish Word Features (TSWF) was devised and pilot tested on 129 elementary school children. After revision, the instrument assessed 12 Spanish word features through the spellings of 50 exemplar words clustered into groups of five. The TSWF and its English counterpart were administered to 196 first, second, third, fourth, and fifth graders. Individual spelling features in Spanish proved to be internally consistent (reliable), but, when arranged according to difficulty, formed a scale that was only marginally cumulative. Compared to those of English, the Spanish word features varied little in complexity, and the evidence that children mastered them in a particular order was less compelling. Full Text in PDF The Linguistic Inaccessibility of U.S. Higher Education and the Inherent Inequity of U.S. IEPs: An Argument for Multilingual Higher Education Should a diploma from a U.S. university imply that the recipient received instruction only in English? If there is bilingual and multilingual education in the K–12 system, why not in higher education? While custom dictates higher education in only English, it has significant, if rarely discussed drawbacks. This article critically examines the popular practice of requiring higher education students in the United States to first demonstrate English proficiency before pursuing a degree and proposes abandoning this practice in favor of a model in which university professors employ sheltered techniques, translated portions of their lecture notes, and bilingual teaching assistants to impart their instruction. In addition, concurrent English for academic purposes (EAP) instruction, closely coordinated with the academic classes, is proposed. Such a model serves language minority and international students more equitably and efficiently and provides numerous benefits for U.S. universities as well. Full Text in PDF The Significance of Language and Cultural Education on Secondary Achievement: A Survey of Chinese-American and Korean-American Students This study attempted to answer the question: What is the significance of language and cultural orientation on academic achievement? This study examined the relationship between the students’ level of interest in maintaining their heritage language and culture and their achievement in school. The subjects for this study were 105 U.S.-born, Chinese-American and Korean-American students attending public high schools in Southern California. The study found that those who valued the acculturation process, adapting to the mainstream culture while preserving their language and culture, had superior academic achievement levels to those who were most interested in the assimilation process and who adopted the values and lifestyles of the dominant culture. In light of the implementation of the “English Only” policy in California’s public schools, this study has important implications in public education—that curriculum and instruction should focus on helping language and cultural minority students to develop and maintain their heritage while exposing them to new ideas. Full Text in PDF Scapegoating Bilingual Education: Getting the Whole Story from the Trenches This paper argues that the debate over bilingual education in the United States has been shortchanged, in that many prominent theorists, researchers, and public speakers, both proponents and opponents, have limited their arguments to which language of instruction is best for a child to learn and prosper. As such, there is general disregard for the harsh symbolic and material conditions that language teachers and their students are often forced to live and work within on a daily basis. After deconstructing the ideologies of both sides of the story of language instruction in the United States, the subsequent dialogues with three language teachers focus on the need to recognize and analyze the larger antagonistic economic, racial, and political relations that are reflected in this nation’s schools. Instead of simply dismissing the potential of multilingual programs, as do the advocates of the English-only movement, the public needs to explore what ensures that so many of these progressive undertakings don’t succeed. Full Text in PDF Facilitating First Language Development in Young Korean Children Through Parent Training in Picture Book Interactions This study examined the effectiveness of parent training in the use of language facilitation techniques around picture book interactions with Korean mothers and children. Twenty-one children, ages 2 to 4 years and 4 months, and their mothers participated. The children were reported to be developing typically. The parents’ first language was Korean and was spoken in the home. Dyads were randomly assigned to a treatment or control condition. The treatment group received approximately one hour of instruction in specific language facilitation techniques around picture book interactions. The control group received approximately one hour of instruction in general emergent literacy development and the importance of first language acquisition. Results from pre-test and post-test language samples indicated significant between-group differences in parents’ use of methods and in children’s language production, both favoring the treatment group. Full Text in PDF Isolating Intrinsic Processing Disorders from Second Language Acquisition Differentiating intrinsic processing disorders from extrinsic factors, such as cultural differences and language acquisition proficiency, is a complex issue. Students with limited English proficiency (LEP) may be mistakenly identified as learning disabled due to inherent similarities between intrinsic processing deficits and the process of second language acquisition. The need for evaluation instruments to separate these discrete factors is critical. The Learning Disabilities Diagnostic Inventory (LDDI) is a recently published observational tool designed to help teachers detect possible intrinsic processing disorders. This study compared LDDI results of non-disabled students with LEP and those who were English-speaking to determine the frequency of intrinsic processing likelihood. Results of the study indicated that non-disabled students with LEP were over-identified as having intrinsic processing deficits through this process. Upon examination of individual LDDI protocols, the over-identification issue focused on the need to train educators concerning second language acquisition characteristics rather than simply discarding the LDDI as a possible tool. Full Text in PDF Do Some School-Age Children Have No Language? Some Problems of Construct Validity in the Pre-LAS Español This article reports the existence of a large group of students identified as “non-nons,” Spanish-background school-age children living in the United States who are reported to be non-verbal in both English and Spanish, and brings the validity of the “non-non” construct into question. In particular, the authors assess the validity of the Pre-Language Assessment Scales Español (Pre-LAS Español), an oral language assessment that purports to measure oral native language ability in children ages 4 to 6. A dataset of 38,887 students who took the Pre-LAS Español in a large urban school district in 1997 is examined, and questions are raised from internal and external evidence regarding the test’s validity. The authors conclude that there are serious concerns regarding the validity of the test, characterize the “non-non” label as an artifact of poor assessment, and recommend that districts and states reconsider current policy requiring or recommending routine oral native language assessment of language minority students. Full Text in PDF “Welcome to Salón 110”: The Consequences of Hybrid Literacy Practices in a Primary-Grade English Immersion Class This paper presents an analysis of the literacy practices in a primary-grade English immersion class in California during the first year of implementation of Proposition 227, the initiative that mandated English immersion education for a majority of the state’s linguistically diverse students. The data issue from a yearlong qualitative study of Room 110, a class consisting of 20 native Spanish-speaking children. The author utilizes the notion of hybrid literacy practices to conceptualize the blending of Spanish and English and home and school registers that permeated the class’s reading and writing activities. Findings illustrate the dynamic contexts of development created by these practices and ways that the linguistic hegemony operating within the school eclipsed the practices. A discussion of the findings emphasizes the ambivalence of hybridity as a conceptual tool and as a guide for instructional practice. The paper concludes with three interrelated principles gleaned from the analysis of Room 110’s literacy practices that elaborate dimensions of effective literacy learning environments for Latina/o children. Full Text in PDF Crosscultural Differences in Learning Styles of Secondary English Learners This study investigated the learning styles of English learners (Armenian, Hmong, Korean, Mexican, and Vietnamese) in secondary schools. For statistical analyses a multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) and post hoc multiple comparisons of means tests (Scheffe tests) were used. A sample of 857 cases collected from 20 high schools in California found significant ethnic group differences as well as achievement level differences in basic learning style preferences. Students in this study favored a variety of instructional strategies. They exhibited either major or minor preferences for all four basic perceptual learning styles but significant ethnic group differences in preferences for group and individual learning. All students exhibited either major or minor preferences for kinesthetic or tactile learning. Hmong, Mexican, and Vietnamese students preferred group learning while Armenian and Korean students did not. However, all five ethnic groups (Armenian, Hmong, Korean, Mexican, and Vietnamese) showed either major or minor preferences for visual learning. In addition, middle and high achievers were more visual than low achievers; high and middle achievers preferred individual learning but low achievers did not; and newcomers exhibited much greater preference for individual learning than those who had been longer in the United States. Full Text in PDF The Role of Teacher-Talk in a Dual Language Immersion Third Grade Classroom While Dual Language Immersion (DLI) programs promise success in many aspects for linguistic minority and majority students, the job of teachers in classrooms is complex and challenging. This case study investigates the complex and multifaceted role of teacher-talk in a DLI third-grade classroom. Using ethnographic methodology and discourse analysis, it was identified that the bilingual teacher in this third-grade class utilized her teacher-talk to provide support in sociocultural, linguistic, cognitive, and academic areas for her students’ learning. These four areas of support were closely interrelated in her teaching. All of these four areas of support were necessary for the success of the DLI program and therefore the academic success of the students. Full Text in PDF Book Review At war with diversity: U.S. language policy in an age of anxiety. Full Text in PDF |