Reading Achievement in A Dual Language Setting: An Examination of English Language Learners at the Elementary Level

Rachel Diemer, David De Jong, Karen Kindle, Ayana Campoli — Mon, 27 Sep 2021 00:00:00 +0000

Dual or two-way immersion programs utilize two languages of instruction to promote bilingualism and biliteracy. This study examined the impact of dual language instruction on the reading achievement and language acquisition of English language learners (ELL) at the elementary level in a public school district in a Midwestern state. The school population included 778 students in which 400 students were enrolled in the dual language program (327 ELL, 73 English) and 378 students were enrolled in a traditional setting (225 ELL, 153 English). A one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) was used to compare the means of reading scores of dual language and of English-only students with no statistically significant effect found. A factorial two-way ANOVA was conducted to compare the means of reading subtest percentile scores, and statistically significant differences were found at the .05 level for the Prereading/Early Reading and Instruction subtests. The results of this study support the implementation of two-way, or dual language models of instruction for school-aged native-English and emergent bilinguals.

A Comparison of Fourth-Grade Students Taught in English-Only Classrooms and Spanish-Only Classrooms in the Same District

Tracy Vik, David De Jong, Kristine Reed, Karen Card, Sandra Henry — Mon, 27 Sep 2021 00:00:00 +0000

Language immersion programs are becoming more available as a form of school choice in both private and public education in the United States and beyond. While there is research on the benefits of immersion education regarding overall intelligence, there is still much skepticism as to why parents would place their child in an immersion program vs. a traditional program where all academics are taught in English. This study presents the data from two schools in the same school district in a Midwest state that took the bold move to create a stand-alone one-way Spanish full immersion school. The analysis show that students educated in the immersion program scored statistically better than their similarly situated peers on the Smarter Balanced Assessment in mathematics and the Measure of Academic Progress in mathematics and reading. The analysis also showed the students educated in the immersion program performed better than their similarly situated peers on the Smarter Balanced Assessment in English language arts and the ABC District Writing Assessment, but statistical significance was not found. While this study is based upon a one-way full immersion program, the findings may also apply to dual and two-way immersion programs where similar results may be achieved for English Language Learners educated in their native language as well as in English.

Dual Language Research and Practice Journal

Reading Achievement in A Dual Language Setting: An Examination of English Language Learners at the Elementary Level

A Comparison of Fourth-Grade Students Taught in English-Only Classrooms and Spanish-Only Classrooms in the Same District