Nury Rodriguez Education 7202: Seminar in Applied Theory and Research II Fall 2010

1. Primary Language Matters: Is There a Link Between Primary Language Proficiency and English Language Learners’ Academic Achievement? Nury Rodriguez Education 7202: Seminar in Applied Theory and Research II Fall 2010

2. Introduction • Statement of Problem (Slide 3) • Review of Related Literature (Slides 4-5) • Research Hypothesis (Slide 6) • Method • Participants (Slide 7) • Instruments (Slide 8) • Experimental Design (Slide 9) • Procedure (Slide 10) • Results (Slides 11-15) • Discussion (Slide 16) • Implications (Slide 17) • References (Slide 18) Table of Contents

3. Statement of the Problem Some English language learners are failing to meet the academic standards. Meanwhile, the debate continues of whether students who are learning English as a second language should be taught using their primary language or in an English only classroom. Some schools have adopted the transitional bilingual programs to help these children, but these transitional bilingual programs provide minimal primary language intervention. However, Cummins’ (1979) developmental interdependence hypothesis asserts that the “development of competence in a second language is partially a function of the type of competence already developed in the first language at the time when intensive exposure to the second language begins” (as cited in Lenters, 2004, p. 329). This action research will attempt to find out: What are the effects of a transitional bilingual intervention on literacy development? Is there a positive correlation between students’ primary language proficiency and target language reading development?

4. Review of Related Literature Theorists & Practitioners

5. Review of Related Literature

6. Statement of the Hypothesis • HR1: Implementing a transitional bilingual Education program with nine first grade English language learners with average to high Spanish language proficiency will yield greater reading progress than the nine first grade English language learners with low Spanish language proficiency, for 40 minutes five times per week over an eight-week period at PSX in Brooklyn, NY.

7. Method Participants • Total population of 18 first grade Latino students at PSX in Brooklyn, New York • 56% or 10 students are girls • 44% or 8 students are boys • Other Participants • Parents of participating students • Teachers and Administration • Racial breakdown of PSX in Brooklyn, New York • PSX student population consists of 1,125 students with ethnic make up of 1 percent African American, 63 percent Hispanic or Latino, Asian or Native Hawaiian/Other Pacific Islander, and 7 percent White • Limited English proficient (LEP) students are 41 percent (441 students) of the student population at PSX

8. Method: Instruments • Consent Forms Administered to: • Parent • Assistant Principal • Teacher • Likert Scale Surveys Administered to: • Students • Parents • Assessments: • Primary Language Assessment • Reading Assessments • Pretest Developmental Reading Assessment • Posttest Developmental Reading Assessment

9. Research Design Quasi Experimental:Nonequivalent Control Group Design Two groups: Designated treatment group (X1) and control group (X2) are pretested, exposed to a treatment (X), and posttested (O). Groups are not randomly assigned. Symbolic Design: O X1 O O X2 O

10. Procedure • This Action Research was conducted from May 2010 to • June 2010: • Consent form were distributed and collected from Assistant Principal, teacher, and students, May 2010. • Surveys were distributed to and collected from students and parents, May 2010. • Pretest administered September 2010. • Posttest administered May 2010. • Post Surveys administered June 2010.

11. Results:Quasi Experimental:Nonequivalent Control Group Design/ Printed Language Concepts and Reading Comprehension Pretest and Posttest Scores/Group 1 & Group 2

12. Results:Correlation of Students Primary Language Attitudes and Posttest English Reading Assessment scores.Likert Scale Post Survey Question #2:

13. Results: Correlation of Students Primary Language Proficiency and Posttest DRA2 Reading Levels Correlation Coefficient (rxy)=0.65. The line of best fit show a fair positive correlation between students primary language proficiency and posttest English reading levels. Therefore, if primary language proficiency is high, students reading levels are high.

14. Results: Data Analysis Quasi Experimental: Nonequivalent Control Group Design

15. Results: Data Analysis Quasi Experimental: Nonequivalent Control Group Design The data for Group 1 indicate that after Transitional Bilingual Education, and high levels of primary language proficiency (treatments) students are at higher reading level compared to Group 2 reading levels. • 11% of the students are reading significantly below grade level. • 22% of the students are reading below grade level. • 55% of the students are reading on grade level. • 11% of the students are reading above grade level. • The data for Group 2 indicate that after Transitional Bilingual education, and low levels of primary language proficiency (treatments) students are at lower reading levels compared to Group 1 reading levels. • 33% of the students are reading significantly below grade level. • 45% of the students are below first grade level. • 22% of the students are on grade level.

16. Discussion This action research appears to support the hypothesis that a transitional bilingual Education program with nine first grade English language learners with high to average Spanish language proficiency to some extend achieved higher reading progress compared to English language learners with lower primary language skills. There is a correlation between reading performance and primary language proficiency as demonstrated by the higher reading levels of those student with high to moderate primary language proficiency. In line with Cummins interdependence hypothesis “instruction in primary language is effective in promoting proficiency in primary language, transfer of this proficiency to the target language will occur provided there is adequate exposure to target language.” (as cited in Garcia and Baker, 2007, p. 112.) This demonstrates the use of primary language intervention and students’ native language proficiency may increase students’ reading progress in English.

17. Implications • The results of this action research show that primary language proficiency in a bilingual setting may be a predictor for second language acquisition. However, there are other factors to consider: • Longitudinal study is needed • Larger sample size • Transitional Bilingual Program/ESL Strategies • Other factors

18. Threats to Validity Threats to Internal Validity Threats to External Validity Ecological Validity Generalizable Conditions Pretest Selection Specificity of Variables Multiple Treatments Treatment Diffusion Experimenter Effects Reactive Arrangements/Participants Effects • History • Maturation • Testing – Pretest Sensitization • Instrumentation • Mortality • Statistical Regression • Differential Selection of Subjects • Selection-Maturation Interaction

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