Studies Prove that Bilingual or Dual Language Learning Improve English Language Learners' Capacity to Learn English.
Currently there are 5.3 million students in the American school system that are ELL. The question is how should we teach them? In my previous post, I discussed Bilingual--also called Dual Language--Education. DL Education offers both ELL and Native speaking students(NES) offers students the chance to learn their content through a partner(Spanish) and English language. DLE varies on instruction, being divided into two methods: 90:10 and 50:50 method. Within the 90:10 model the majority of the class is spoken in Spanish with the remaining in English, while 50:50 splits the two evenly. There have been studies demonstrating benefits of DLE for ELL and NES in the classroom, in hopes implementation nation wide. Regina Cortina, Carmina Makar and Mary Mount-Cors confirm research in a Manhattan school that "ELL students enrolled in DL programs were academically ahead of those in English-only programs...their dropout rate was lower in th[e]se programs compared [to] English-only programs"(Cortina, et.al). With the promotion of DLE Kathryn Lindholm-Leary writes in her article "Success and Challenges in Dual Language Education" about challenges occurring from DLE and debunking them, showing the importance of DL classrooms. There is a clear success within DLE, if properly executed. She goes over five main challenges that persist in DLE when poorly executed, offering research that debunk claimed "problems". People see the amount of English exposure to ELL students as a problem, believing that the more exposure students have to English, the higher their understanding. However,the amount of English does not determine students' success but rather, the quality of the material presented.Students placed in 90:10 classrooms which speak very little English, exhibit same levels of proficiency in their core subjects the same if not higher, than students in 50:50 classrooms. A study that proves this comes from Margaret Bridges and Sara McElmurry article titled "Buenos días! Good Morning!", where curriculum is taught 80% in Spanish and the remaining in English. This classroom increases proficiency in both languages to ELL and NES children, while encouraging cross cultural understanding. Although the children learn predominantly in Spanish until the fourth grade, their scores "show promise: ELL's are outperforming those in transitional bilingual programs, and NES test higher than peers in traditional classrooms"(Bridges and McElmurry). It promotes learning in both languages, no matter the language being spoken, showing improvement in English through assessment.
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| Ms. Griselda, reading to her kindergarten students in English. Predominantly 80% of the class instruction is taught in Spanish. |
There are also "accountability challenges" concerning assessing student progress and demonstrating students' grade-level reading skills in partner and native languages. Studies found achievement on track if not higher than traditional classroom and,correlate English proficiency through proficiency in reading their partner languages(Lindholm-Leary). Challenges also arise in the development of oral language and proficient bilingual skills. Research proves "language and literacy skills in primary language play an important role in second language and on skills appear[ing] to transfer one language to another on instructional approaches that benefit promoting literacy in a second language"(Lindholm-Leary). DLE offers numerous approaches to promote bilingualism through constant switching of English and Spanish. Within Margartet Bridges article, teachers found strong correlations between DL classrooms with bilingualism, "offer[ing] children chances to maintain--and gain literacy in--their home language while becom[ing] fluent in English and succeed[ing] in classrooms"(Bridges, et.al). They have opportunities to learn English, while maintaining their ethnic roots. Cortina writes similarly in her article stating that ELL students demonstrate pride when speaking their native language in school saying: "they speak it [and] become proud of it...they are happy and proud to be in a school called DL...because they feel we're giving them something that they were losing"(Cortina, et.al). In DL, the promotion of bilingualism allows students to communicate beyond the traditional language mandated by America. With the provided research presented concerning DL instruction, educators believe it could change the way students are instructed. Will this success spread like wild fire, or will students miss a once in a lifetime opportunity to communicate with mass populations?
