Volume 30, Number 1 Spring 2006 ABSTRACTS |
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The Intersection of Accountability and Language: Can Reading Intervention Replace English Language Development? The language in recent education policy equates academic achievement with reading proficiency for English language learners (ELLs). In response to federal and state accountability efforts focused on reading, California high schools began to substitute reading intervention programs for English language development (ELD) curricula and instruction. This study compared the effect of a reading intervention program to that of a comprehensive ELD program on ELLs’ achievement at one California high school. Ultimately, the comparison cohort earned higher achievement test scores than the reading intervention program cohort. Perhaps most striking, however, was the sheer proportion of ELLs excluded from services due to reading levels beyond the program exit level. As educators work to improve ELL achievement, the importance of curricula that meet students at their linguistic and academic level cannot be understated.
Ester de Jong Florida State University This descriptive study of language use examined the extent to which bilingual Hispanic young adults used their two languages in varying aspects of their lives and analyzed the extent to which they maintained the use of Spanish in these domains. A convenience sample of 202 undergraduate, Hispanic university students completed the Language and Education Survey (Hasson, 2001). Data from the Language Use section of this instrument was the basis for the present study, which compared Hispanic students who were enrolled in bilingual or English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) programs in their elementary schooling with students who experienced an all-English curriculum. The results of this study showed that while there was a definite shift toward English in this sample, there were nevertheless significant differences between the Bilingual/ESOL group and the All-English group in the very specific dimension of language use. The findings raised some critical questions regarding how school systems address the particular needs of bilingual students and how this might affect the maintenance of their native language and its use in later life.
California State University, Northridge Salvador Hector Ochoa University of Texas–Pan American Richard Parker The Office of Civil Rights (2001) and the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001(Antunez, 2003) mandate that language proficiency and academic achievement be measured in order to provide equal educational opportunities to English language learners and have an accountability system for their language and academic growth. The Cognitive Academic Language Proficiency (CALP) construct is often cited in the literature as a milestone to second-language (L2) development and as having a significant relationship with academic achievement in the L2. Studies have typically explored the relationship between the primary language (L1) and the L2 separately with academic achievement. Language proficiency has often been viewed as a unitary construct without considering the interrelationship between L1 and L2 (Cummins, 2001). This study investigated the crosslinguistic relationship between the CALP in L1 and L2, as measured by the Woodcock-Muñoz Language Survey (WMLS) and reading growth, as measured by Curriculum Based Measurement Oral Reading Probes, with 77 second- and third-grade students in transitional bilingual classes. A significant, but weak relationship was found between Spanish CALP Broad Standard Score and English CALP Broad Standard Score with reading growth in Spanish and in English, respectively. The crosslinguistic relationship, as measured by the WMLS, and its relationship to reading growth is further discussed.
The Latino Students’ Attitudes, Perceptions, and Views on Bilingual Education Steven K. Lee
Differential Outcomes of Two Bilingual Education Programs on English Language Learners
Parents’ Attitudes Towards Bilingual Education Policy in Taiwan James Oladejo
A Study of Teacher Efficacy of Special Education Teachers of English Language Learners With Disabilities Oneyda M. Paneque Barry University Patricia M. Barbetta Florida International University This study examined the teacher efficacy of special education teachers of English language learners (ELLs) with disabilities by surveying 202 elementary special education teachers. Overall participant teacher efficacy scores were high. No statistically significant differences in efficacy scores were found for levels of teacher preparation, number of years of teaching experience, or socioeconomic status of the students. A statistically significant difference in perceived efficacy was found with self-reported proficiency in the language of the students. In addition, a multiple regression analysis indicated that proficiency in the language of the students accounted for significant variance in predicting the level of teachers’ perceived efficacy. Responses to the open-ended questions about what was most helpful when working with ELLs with disabilities yielded two major themes: organizational issues and teacher issues. The results demonstrate the positive correlation between proficiency in the language of the students and teacher efficacy.
Recruiting Paraeducators Into Bilingual Teaching Roles: The Importance of Support, Supervision, and Self-Efficacy Elena Sandoval-Lucero This mixed methods study examined the self-efficacy beliefs of paraeducators who became bilingual teachers and paraeducators who did not to explore the possibility that self-efficacy plays a role in paraeducators’ career decisions. Data were collected through three sources: a survey, career goal statements, and interviews. Fourteen participants were included in the study. There were qualitative differences and significant quantitative differences between the two groups. Those who became bilingual teachers described work environments and duties that promoted the development of their teacher efficacy. Those who remained in the paraeducator roles described very different work environments. The study highlights the importance of clearly defining paraeducators’ roles and responsibilities in ways that utilize their skills, abilities, and interests, and promote their career development.
Research in Practice
In this article, I examine the implications of additive and subtractive conceptions for the education of English language learner (ELL) students. To understand how competing theories regarding the education of ELL students materialize into action, I examine select findings from one district’s implementation of Proposition 227. Focusing on the cases of two teachers, I examine the connections between teachers’ theories about their students and the role in the policy to practice connection. This article provides an opportunity for school leaders to consider the implications of subtractive and additive approaches in the educational achievement of ELL students.
Book Review By Bernard Spolsky. Reviewed by Eric Johnson Arizona State University
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