How to Develop Balanced Biliteracy in Language Minority Children

Education 703.22Fall 2010

Romina G. Ladner

Table of Contents

Introduction 3Statement of the Problem 4Literature Review 5-6Statement of the Hypothesis 7Participants & Instruments 8Research Design 9Threats to Internal and External Validity 10Procedures 11Results 12-15Implications 16

Introduction

Schools and classrooms reflect a multicultural society where most language minority students face the problem of losing their linguistic and cultural identity.

It is necessary to look for new theoretical and practical strategies to help language minority students to reach and support literacy in both languages.

This study reports on data gathered at Public School X to draw conclusions on why language minority students do not develop both languages equally. P.S. X is located in Sunset Park, Brooklyn.

Statement of the Problem

The coexistence of different cultures has formed what we call today a multicultural society. In this society, bilingualism is a rule and not an exception.

Our schools and classrooms reflect this multicultural society where most language minority students face the problem of losing their linguistic and cultural identity in the process of acquiring a second language.

By the end of elementary school, most language minority students do not posses balanced biliteracy.

Literature Review

Bilingual Education Models: It is essential to understand the different models of instruction in order to implement an effective program for language minority students. Each model has a separate structure in regards to the intended population, in regards to the language used in the classroom, to the societal and educational aim, and to the language outcome.

Biliteracy and Empowerment: Bilingual education is viewed as a means of remedying inequalities in educational opportunities for those students of no or limited English language skills. The major issue in public school is the function of the native language in the educational process. Cummins states that additive bilingual education, collaborative community participation, reciprocal-interactive pedagogy, and advocacy oriented assessment lead to empowering minority students.

Literature ReviewInstructional Approaches: The traditional language approach includes

different methods of reading, like the alphabetic method, the phonetic method, and the syllabic methods. The whole language approach helps students to increase language competence through using the language experience approach, reading aloud to students, exposing them to different styles of writing, selecting well-illustrated text, incorporating creative representations and dialogues. Providing meaningful lessons and activities to students will support and enhance their reading comprehension skills.

Bilingual Education Controversy: Bilingual education opponents claim that English should be the national language, and until children are proficient in English, their ability to drop back to speaking another language pull students back from the overall learning process. Part of the confusion around bilingual education programs is the fact that there is no consensus as to what kind of bilingual education is most successful. Opponents believe that language minority students are not sufficiently mastering the English language, and low test scores prove that education is failing them in their native and second language.

Statement of the Hypothesis

HR 1: To implement a bilingual reading program over 8 weeks for 45

minutes 4 days a week to 21 fourth-graders will increase their reading scores in both English and Spanish.

Participants & Instruments

The participants are 21 fourth- grade students from a dual language classroom in PS X in Brooklyn, NY.

Instruments used:Consent forms.Home Survey based on levels of measurements.Reading Levels 2008 &2009PretestPosttest

Research Design

Pre-Experimental Design: One-Group Pretest-Posttest Design.

Single Group: Single group is pre-tested (O), exposed to a treatment (X), and post-tested (O).

Symbolic Design: OXO

Threats to Internal and External Validity

Threats of Internal ValidityHistoryMaturationTesting/Pre-test SensitizationInstrumentationMortalityStatistical RegressionDifferential Selection of SubjectsSelection-Maturation Interaction

Threats of External Validity

Ecological ValidityGeneralizable ConditionsPre-Test TreatmentSelection Treatment InteractionExperimenter EffectsReactive Arrangements/ Participants Effects

Procedures

This action research gathers data obtained from 2008 and 2009 from a second-grade class and compares it with the data obtained from the same class in fourth-grade two years later.

Consent forms were sent to the principal, teacher and parents. Home survey was sent to parents. Pretest was given to students in English and Spanish. Intervention was based on the whole language approach selecting well-

illustrated text, reading aloud, practicing different styles of writing, and incorporating creative representations and dialogues. Intervention was done in English and Spanish.

Posttest was given to students in English and Spanish.

Results: 2nd grade Reading Levels

A B C D E F G H I J K L M0

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

ENGLISH

TCA 08TCA 09

READING LEVELS

STUD

ENTS

A B C D E F G H I J K L0

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

SPANISH

TCA 08TCA 09

READING LEVELS

STUD

ENTS

Results: Correlation between hours of reading in English and pretest

Survey question #8: How many hours does your child read in English?

Correlation Coefficient (rxy)= 0.79. The line of best fit shows a positive correlation between hours of reading in Englsih and pretest scores.

1 2 31/2 hour 1 hour 2 hours

Student Ans. # Pretest1 3 100%2 3 100%3 3 100%4 3 90%5 3 90%6 3 100%7 3 90%8 2 80%9 2 80%

10 3 90%11 2 80%12 3 100%13 2 70%14 3 100%15 2 80%16 2 80%17 2 90%18 3 100%19 2 90%20 3 100%21 2 90%

rxy 0.79558708

1.8 2 2.2 2.4 2.6 2.8 3 3.20%

20%

40%

60%

80%

100%

120%

Correlation between hours of reading in Englsih and Pretest

PretestLinear (Pretest)

HOME SURVEY RESPONSES

TEST

SCO

RES

Results: 4th grade reading levels

F G H I J K L M N O P Q R0

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

READING LEVELS 2010

SPANISHENGLSIH

READING LEVELS

STUD

ENTS

Results: Pretest & Posttest

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 210%

20%

40%

60%

80%

100%

120%

SPANISH PRETEST & POSTTEST

Spanish PretestSpanish Posttest

STUDENTS

TEST

SCO

RES

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 210%

20%

40%

60%

80%

100%

120%

ENGLISH PRETEST & POSTTEST

Englsih PretestEnglish Posttest

STUDENTS

TEST

SCO

RES

Spanish Pretest Spanish Posttest Englsih Pretest English PosttestMean 87% 92% 90% 93%Median 90 95 90 95Mode 75/100 100 100 100

Implications• Bilingual education instruction in the United States lies in the

unwillingness to treat English for non-speakers as an academic subject. Schools often treat language minority students as a group of individuals, in need of a warm and nice environment created by caring and undemanding teachers. Bilingual Education should be repaired, not replaced.

• Bilingual programs that use long-term L1 instruction will provide students with the right to maintain their native language and culture.

• Bilingual education offers the opportunity of having balanced biliteracy that leads to the empowering of language minority students.