Public schools across the country are increasingly working with children who enter schools speaking a language other than English. Using a case study methodology, the authors examined Dual Language Program (DLP) implementation in Arizona, which by law sup

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Author
Author
Spencer, T. D., Moran, M., Thompson, M. S., Peterson, D. B., Restrepo, M. A.
Journal
AERA Open
Details
Resource Type
Journal
Acquisition Number
455
Published Date
07-05-2021 3:53 PM
Published Year
2020
Number of Pages
16
Language(s)
Subscription Only
No
Abstract
The purpose of this cluster randomized group study was to investigate the effect of multitiered, dual-language instruction on children's oral language skills, including vocabulary, narrative retell, receptive and expressive language, and listening comprehension. The participants were 3- to 5-year-old children (n = 81) who were learning English and whose home language was Spanish. Across the school year, classroom teachers in the treatment group delivered large-group lessons in English to the whole class twice per week. For a Tier 2 intervention, the teachers delivered small-group lessons 4 days a week, alternating the language of intervention daily (first Spanish, then English). Group posttest differences were statistically significant, with moderate to large effect sizes favoring the treatment group on all the English proximal measures and on three of the four Spanish proximal measures. Treatment group advantages were observed on Spanish and English norm-referenced standardized measures of language (except vocabulary) and a distal measure of language comprehension.
Topics
Oral Language
Multilingualism
Language Proficiency
English Learners
English Learners
Biliteracy
Bilingualism
Bilingual Students
Academic Language