Lisa M. López

Latino Children Attending a Two-Way Immersion Program in the United States: A Comparative Case Analysis

Research on two-way immersion programs has empirically investigated the success of such programs on childrens dual-language development. The present study focuses on the language abilities of Latino children attending a Spanish–English differentiated two-way immersion program in the United States. Family dynamics relating to placement in this program is investigated using mixed methods. Parents identified six factors for placing their child in this program. Children experienced growth in their language abilities in English and/or Spanish as they completed the first 2 years of the program. These findings provide a better understanding of Latino children enrolled in dual-language programs.

Depression, Control, and Climate: An Examination of Factors Impacting Teaching Quality in Preschool Classrooms.

Research Findings: This study investigated the relationship of preschool teachers’ self-reported depressive symptomatology, perception of classroom control, and perception of school climate to classroom quality as measured by the Classroom Assessment Scoring System Pre-K. The sample consisted of 59 urban preschool classrooms serving low-income and linguistically diverse students in the northeastern and southeastern United States. Results of hierarchical linear modeling revealed that teachers’ individual reports of depressive symptomatology were significantly and negatively predictive of the observed quality of their instructional support and classroom organization. Practice or Policy: The findings of this study have implications for increasing access to mental health supports for teachers in an effort to minimize depressive symptoms and potentially improve classroom quality.

Assessing the Phonological Skills of Bilingual Children From Preschool Through Kindergarten: Developmental Progression and Cross-Language Transfer

The developmental progression hypothesis for phonological awareness states that children perform better on lower level tasks and has been addressed mainly in the literature with children beginning at age 5. In addition, there has been a limited amount of research done regarding the performance of dual-language learners younger than age 5 on phonological awareness tasks. There is a need for a valid measure of phonological awareness for bilingual preschool children at an earlier age. This article addresses three purposes: (1) developing a reliable measure of phonological awareness for bilingual preschool children, (2) testing the developmental progression hypothesis in English and Spanish, and (3) comparing longitudinal performance across language on the measure. Two hundred and forty-one Spanish-English bilingual children were assessed on the author-developed Phonological Awareness Test at three time points (mean age of 4.58, mean age of 4.96, mean age of 5.94). Findings indicate differences in developmental progression by language as well as shifts in performance across language as children go through school. The children in this study transition from a language-specific model of phonological awareness to a more skill specific model of phonological awareness as they progress through school.

Preschool teachers’ language and literacy practices with dual language learners

ABSTRACT The purposes of this study were to (a) examine the degree to which teachers used linguistically responsive practices to support the language and literacy development of Spanish-speaking Dual Language Learners (DLL) and (b) to investigate the associations between these practices and select teacher-level factors. The sample consisted of 72 preschool teachers. Observational data were collected on practices. Teachers self-reported on language and culture beliefs, Spanish-speaking ability, and classroom composition. Results indicated that teachers, including those who spoke Spanish, used few linguistically responsive practices to support preschool DLLs. Only Spanish-speaking ability was related to practices. Implications for targeted professional development are discussed.

Variations in Classroom Language Environments of Preschool Children Who Are Low Income and Linguistically Diverse

ABSTRACT Research Findings: This study aimed to (a) provide an in-depth description of the frequency and type of language interactions that children who are low income and/or dual language learners (DLLs) experience in their classrooms and (b) examine whether differences exist in children’s language experiences based on children’s DLL status and level of English proficiency. Using the Language Interaction Snapshot, we observed 4 focal children in each of 72 early childhood classrooms: 1 monolingual English-speaking child (i.e., non-DLL), 1 Spanish-dominant DLL child, and 2 bilingual Spanish–English DLL children. Findings indicated that both lead and assistant teachers predominantly spoke in English and implemented few evidence-based language practices. Children spoke more often to peers than to teachers. Little variation was noted in the quality of the language environment for children based on their DLL status or language proficiency. Practice or Policy: Results suggest clear directions for professional development (PD). PD must include both lead and assistant teachers and should focus on evidence-based language strategies for facilitating children’s language development, including how to effectively teach DLLs. Teachers may also benefit from PD that supports the use of small-group activity and peer strategies.

Analysis of Bilingual Children’s Performance on the English and Spanish Versions of the Woodcock-Muñoz Language Survey-R (WMLS-R)

The purpose of this study was to investigate the way in which items on the Woodcock-Muñoz Language Survey Revised (WMLS-R) Spanish and English versions function for bilingual children from different ethnic subgroups who speak different dialects of Spanish. Using data from a sample of 324 bilingual Hispanic families and their children living on the United States mainland, differential item functioning (DIF) was conducted to determine if test items in English and Spanish functioned differently for Mexican, Cuban, and Puerto Rican bilingual children. Data on child and parent language characteristics and children’s scores on Picture Vocabulary and Story Recall subtests in English and Spanish were collected. DIF was not detected for items on the Spanish subtests. Results revealed that some items on English subtests displayed statistically and practically significant DIF. The findings indicate that there are differences in the difficulty level of WMLS-R English-form test items depending on the examinees’ ethnic subgroup membership. This outcome suggests that test developers need to be mindful of potential differences in performance based on ethnic subgroup and dialect when developing standardized language assessments that may be administered to bilingual students.