Abstract
This randomized trial study aimed to analyze the efficacy of two different school-based interventions—normal preschool literacy teaching, and the PASSI intervention carried out for different durations (12 versus 30 weeks)—on notational knowledge of bilingual language-minority (BLM) preschoolers and their monolingual peers, after controlling their linguistic background and socio- economic status. A total of 251 children aged 4–5 years (M age = 4 years and 8 months; SD age = 6 months; 49% males, 51% females) were recruited from 19 classes in five preschools and randomly assigned to three groups that corresponded to different notational-focused interventions: (1) normal preschool literacy teaching (Condition 1; n = 47); (2) the PASSI intervention carried out for 12 weeks (Condition 2; n = 119); and (3) the PASSI intervention carried out for 30 weeks (Condition 3; n = 85). We collected two waves of data before and after the interventions regarding notational knowledge and phonological skills. Using the mixed ANOVA, we found that the PASSI intervention (both durations of 12 and 30 weeks) led to a significantly higher level of notational knowledge in BLM children and their monolingual peers. In addition, we observed that with the PASSI intervention carried out for 30 weeks, the baseline difference between BLMs and their monolingual peers was nullified. This study demonstrates that well-designed, school-based programs can benefit language-minority children by supporting their emergent notational knowledge. This paper also discusses implications for bilingual education policymaking.
Highlights
In Western countries, linguistic heterogeneity in classrooms, especially in preschools and primary schools, is becoming increasingly prevalent, challenging educational systems to flexibly adapt their teaching practices and curricula (Dockrell et al, 2021)
This study aimed to deepen the understanding of the emergent literacy skills of bilingual language-minority (BLM) preschoolers; it investigated whether their notational knowledge and phonological skills can be improved by different schoolbased interventions, compared to monolinguals, and assess which achieves the best results taking into account the durations of interventions
Pairwise comparisons showed no statistically significant differences. This longitudinal study tested the efficacy of two different schoolbased interventions—normal preschool literacy teaching and the PASSI intervention carried out for different durations (12 vs. 30 weeks)—in enhancing the notational knowledge of BLM preschoolers and their monolingual peers
Summary
In Western countries, linguistic heterogeneity in classrooms, especially in preschools and primary schools, is becoming increasingly prevalent, challenging educational systems to flexibly adapt their teaching practices and curricula (Dockrell et al, 2021). These differences might be explained by referring to the children’s perception of English phonemes that do not exist in Spanish that in turn might lead children relying upon different skills than those used by monolingual children to spell in English In line with these results, Bonifacci and Tobia (2017) showed that the performance of vocabulary, phonological awareness, and morphosyntactic comprehension performance in L2 (Italian-societal language) was lower in bilingual preschool children than in their monolingual peers. Oral language and measures of code-related skills (i.e., phonological awareness) were lower for Spanish-speaking BLM preschoolers, compared to their monolingual English-speaking peers; these differences were mitigated by the socio-economic variable (Lonigan et al, 2013). Findings on whether the condition of bilingualism negatively affects emergent literacy skills of preschoolers are divergent and fragmented, similar to the results obtained for older children
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