Volume 28, Number 1 Spring 2004 ABSTRACTS |
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The Cross-Language Transfer of Phonological Skills of Hispanic Head
Start Children
This
article determines the interlanguage relationships between oral
language skills and phonological awareness abilities in 100 Spanish-speaking
Head Start children learning English. Children’s oral language
abilities, measured using the pre-Language Assessment Scale 2000,
along with their phonological awareness, measured using the Phonological
Sensitivity Test, were assessed in both English and Spanish. A hierarchical
multiple regression was conducted in which the unique variance of
oral proficiency in each language and phonological awareness in
Spanish indicated an effect on performance for phonological awareness
tasks in English, with Spanish phonological awareness and English
oral proficiency accounting for the most variance. Results suggest
strengthening the language and metalinguistic skills of these children
in their first language as a tool for later acquiring English literacy
skills.
This study examines the
short-term effects of a two-way bilingual education program on the
literacy development of students in kindergarten and first grade.
This study compared the literacy development of two groups of children
who received different proportions of instruction in English and
Spanish. Both the experimental and control groups consisted of students
who were English language learners (ELLs), as well as students who
were not ELLs (i.e., native English speakers and former ELLs who
reached proficiency). Students in the experimental group participated
in a two-way bilingual program in which instruction was in English
approximately 70% of the time and in Spanish approximately 30% of
the time. Students in the control group attended the same school
but were in mainstream classes and received instruction in English
about 90% of the time. Comparison of test scores (on district-developed
assessments and the Scholastic Reading Inventory) of the two groups
at the end of the school year indicated that in spite of the initially
lower pretest scores in some subject areas, the experimental group’s
achievement was very close to that of the control group. It is concluded
that two-way bilingual programs can assist schools in improving
ELLs’ academic achievement in English language arts.
This article summarizes
the results from the first statewide study of two-way immersion
(TWI) programs for English language learners. The survey was conducted
electronically with 304 Texas bilingual/English as a Second Language
directors in districts that serve English language learners. Data
are reported for the following research question: What information
can be identified about TWI programs in Texas, specifically: (a)
number of districts reporting TWI programs, (b) program types, (c)
grade levels served, (d) number of classrooms at each grade level,
(e) languages of instruction, (f) distribution of native Spanish
and native English speakers, (g) TWI program by regional educational
service center, and (h) years of implementation? This article concludes
with implications for further research related to TWI programs in
Texas and the United States.
Research-based
professional development is essential for districts and teachers
across the nation that face the challenge of providing a quality
education for increasingly diverse student populations. In this
study, the researchers surveyed 729 teachers in one midwestern suburban
district recently impacted by high numbers of immigrant and refugee
English language learners (ELLs) about the teachers’ beliefs,
attitudes, practices, and needs related to ELLs. Results focused
on: (a) overall trends and typical responses and (b) differences
between teachers with more positive attitudes versus those with
less positive attitudes toward having ELLs in their classes. In
general, teachers held positive attitudes toward ELLs, bilingual
education, and bilingualism; however, there was considerable variability,
with sizeable proportions of teachers holding less supportive beliefs,
attitudes, and practices. Teachers more accepting of ELLs in their
classes were more likely to believe that an ELL’s first language
proficiency promotes school performance and does not impede learning
a second language; bilingualism and bilingual education are beneficial;
ELLs should be tested in their first language; lack of fluency in
the second language does not imply lack of comprehension; and ELLs
do not consume additional teacher time or district resources. Results
also showed that teachers with more favorable attitudes toward ELLs
tended to take a mastery versus a performance (or competitive) approach
to instruction, and had a higher self-efficacy for teaching ELLs.
Based on the results of this study, the authors discuss implications
for professional development.
This study examined the
code-switching patterns in the speech of immigrant Spanish-speaking
children. Seven- and 10-year-old boys and girls from bilingual classrooms
were each paired with a mutually selected friend, and their speech
was collected in two contexts: while the children waited for an
expected science experiment and when they worked together to follow
an instruction worksheet about hands-on magnetic materials. This
study presents data on the discourse characteristics of children’s
code switching, and the functions that Spanish and English have
according to context. In addition, the data are described in relation
to children’s language competence and preference. The study
found that code switching occurred both within and across turns.
The older children’s switches were more frequent and were
deployed for a wider variety of functions than the younger children’s.
The results challenge the negative view that code switching by children
who are learning two languages is due to lack of proficiency, and
instead support the view that it is used as a strategy to extend
their communicative competence during peer interaction.
This study surveyed 86
parents who enrolled their children in a Chinese–English bilingual
preschool in San Francisco. The participants were asked their opinions
on bilingual education, the reasons for sending their children to
a Chinese–English bilingual school, their attitudes toward
bilingual education, their use of Chinese and English, and their
expectations for their children and the language environment at
home. It was found that parents strongly support Chinese–English
bilingual education and understood the purpose and underlying principles
of bilingual education. Although there were some differences between
the English-dominant and Chinese-dominant parents’ responses,
the major reasons parents enrolled their children in Chinese–English
bilingual school were the practical advantages of being bilingual
(e.g., better career opportunities), positive effects on self-image,
and development of skills enabling effective communication within
the Chinese-speaking community. The majority of the parents intended
to encourage their children to speak Chinese at home. However, a
gap existed between expectation and actual practice. Parents’
expectation of their children’s level of Chinese competency
varied due to differences in parents’ Chinese proficiency
and the availability of Chinese resources at home. The results suggest
that both English-dominant and Chinese-dominant parents are very
supportive of developing bilingualism in their children. The implications
of this study for community Chinese heritage language programs and
for Chinese–English bilingual schools are that schools need
to work in concert with parents to establish more effective home–school
partnerships to meet the different language needs and expectations
of the parents and students, and to provide students with the necessary
language and literacy experiences in a meaningful way.
Research
in Practice This paper has two purposes.
The first purpose is to develop a better understanding of the process
of starting an after-school program for Japanese heritage language
learners. The second purpose is to develop a better understanding
of parents’ expectations of their children’s heritage
language education. Interviews with two Japanese mothers whose children
attend a Japanese after-school program revealed factors similar
to those that Shibata’s study (2000) found are essential when
opening Japanese heritage schools: (a) leadership, (b) parental
and community support, (c) teaching methodology and materials, and
(d) motivation. In addition, this study revealed two more factors
essential for opening after-school classrooms: social networks and
policies.
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