Examining the role of learner and classroom characteristics in the later language learning of Latinx youth and their classmates

Abstract

Sociocultural theories assert that interactions with others foster language learning, including during middle childhood, when students are mastering the language that supports skilled reading and writing in school settings, or ‘academic language’ (AL). Studies also document, however, how linguistically- and culturally-minoritized students, including Latinx youth, are afforded fewer opportunities to participate in classroom interactions that develop these language skills. Inspired by these accounts, we examine the role of classroom (e.g., classroom interactions, classroom composition) and learner characteristics (e.g., levels of AL resources) in AL learning for 1138 Latinx youth and their classmates across one academic year in 60 U.S. classrooms (ages 10–14; grades 4–7). Of great importance for the design of instruction, our results revealed the role of individual language skills as well as of sociocultural mechanisms, including classmates' average levels of AL proficiency, in later language learning for all middle grade students; and, highlighted the importance of some aspects of equitable instruction, namely communal classroom interactions, for the AL learning of a subset of Latinx students with initially more developed AL resources than classmates. We interpret these results to suggest a need to attend to learner and classroom factors in the design of AL instruction for all students and, in particular, for Latinx youth.