Achieved Reading Level, Self-Esteem, and Grades as Related to Length of Exposure to Bilingual Education

Abstract

A quasi-experimental design was used to compare two groups of Mexican American seventh-grade students enrolled in a tra ditional junior high school where all subjects of the curriculum were presented in English. The experimental group (N = 86) had previously been taught for 1 or more years in an elementary bilingual program. The control group (N = 90) consisted of students who had attended a traditional elementary program in which all subjects were presented in English. The dependent variables examined for comparison purposes included sixth- and seventh-grade English reading levels, grade point average achieved during grades one through six and for the seventh grade, and a self-esteem measure at the completion of the sev enth grade. Results showed that shorter versus longer periods of time spent in the elementary bilingual program had no effect on the experimental students' seventh-grade school perfor mance (i.e., English reading scores, grade point average, and self-esteem). The experimental students obtained a significantly higher grade point average for grades one through six, but no significant differences were found between the two groups in the seventh grade. The control students achieved higher scores on all three measures of reading (i.e., comprehension, language skills, and vocabulary) at the sixth-grade level, but scored sig nificantly higher only in English language skills at the comple tion of the seventh grade. No significant differences were found between the two groups on self-concept.