Bilingual Learners Research Articles

Design of Contextual-Collaborative Assure-Based Learning Program Development in Improving Reading Skills and Bilingual Communication Skills of Early Childhood Children

This article aims to describe the design for developing and evaluating the media for learning with a collaborative-contextual model in improving the reading skills and bilingual abilities of early childhood in the Sukorambi Islamic Kindergarten (TK), Jember Regency. This research uses a qualitative type with a descriptive exploratory approach—data collection techniques using in-depth interviews, participatory observation, and documentation studies. The data were then analyzed using the stages of domain analysis, taxonomic analysis, componential analysis, and cultural theme analysis with the validity of the data, the credibility of the triangulation method and sources, and confirmability. Based on the research findings, it was concluded that the six stages in the design of contextual-collaborative assured-based learning program development in improving reading skills and bilingual communication skills are as follows: Analysis of early-age learners and as digital natives; determining learning objectives; choosing methods, media, and materials (including the use of the student center method, compiling the Outline of the Contents of the Podcast Media, Podcast Media Scripts, and Bilingual Learning Implementation Plans), Utilization of media, and teaching materials (including reviewing materials, preparing materials, learning environments, and learners and ensuring learner learning experiences), Learner involvement, and Evaluatievaluationision.

Examining the use of bilingual accommodations in digital math assessments: User perceptions

Digital math assessments with bilingual accommodations allow multilingual learners to use their entire linguistic repertoire to showcase their knowledge and skills. The bilingual accommodations, which include tools like language translation and audio prompts in both English and Spanish, are designed to be adaptable, giving multilingual learners the freedom to view or listen to the items in either language and to write or say their responses in either language or a combination of both. This study examined how 56 middle school emergent bilingual learners used these bilingual accommodations and explored the perceptions of teachers and students regarding these accommodations. This study provides evidence regarding using bilingual accommodation in math assessments for middle school emergent multilingual learners. The results showed how students used their full linguistic repertoire and language modalities to showcase their math knowledge and skills. Both teachers and students reported having positive perceptions of the bilingual accommodations, reinforcing its responsiveness to different learners’ needs and preferences.

“A lot for one human to handle”: the experiences of two dual language bilingual education teachers in the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic

ABSTRACT While the challenges that educators have faced during the COVID-19 pandemic are widely acknowledged, there is little scholarship that provides opportunities for teachers to share their stories. This article documents the journeys of two dual language bilingual education elementary teachers, one in Georgia and one in Texas, which were a part of a narrative inquiry into the experiences of United States educators during the COVID-19 pandemic. Grounded in a conceptual framework that centers humanity as a key dimension of teaching bilingual learners, we found that the teachers enacted humanizing pedagogy to counteract a range of dehumanizing experiences that they, as well as their students and families, faced during the early days of the pandemic. We attend to the ways in which the teachers’ stories inform the field of dual language bilingual education moving forward.

Enhanced efficiency in the bilingual brain through the inter-hemispheric cortico-cerebellar pathway in early second language acquisition

Bilingualism has a profound impact on the structure and function of the brain, but it is not yet well understood how this experience influences brain functional organization. We examine a large sample (151 participants) of monolinguals and bilinguals with varied age of second language acquisition, who underwent resting-state functional magnetic brain imaging. Whole-brain network analyses reveal higher global efficiency in bilingual individuals than monolinguals, indicating enhanced functional integration in the bilingual brain. Moreover, the age at which the second language was acquired correlated with this increased efficiency, suggesting that earlier exposure to a second language has lasting positive effects on brain functional organization. Further investigation using the network-based statistics approach indicates that this effect is primarily driven by heightened functional connectivity between association networks and the cerebellum. These findings show that the timing of bilingual learning experience alters the brain functional organization at both global and local levels.

Task complexity effects on L2 speech rhythm in spontaneous speech production

Task-based pronunciation teaching studies have shown that the cognitive complexity of a task affects different aspects of second language (L2) speech, such as vowel accuracy and comprehensibility. However, its impact on L2 speech rhythm is still under-researched, especially in spontaneous pronunciation-unfocused tasks. In this study, we first investigated how task complexity influences L2 speech rhythm, and we then explored how L2 speech rhythm metrics might predict global pronunciation proficiency (comprehensibility and accentedness). Eighty-two Spanish/Catalan bilingual learners of English and a control group of eight native speakers (NSs) completed a simple and a complex version of an adapted monologic decision-making task. Oral production data were analysed using well-established rhythm metrics (%V, VarcoV, nPVI-V, and VarcoC), novel distance measures (Euclidean and Mahalanobis distance scores) and ratings from 13 English NSs. Results showed differential task complexity effects on L2 speech rhythm depending on the rhythm metrics and distance measures considered. Additionally, the %V rhythm metric and the Mahalanobis distance measure accounted for a modest amount of variance in both comprehensibility and accentedness scores, with Mahalanobis distances having a more reliable predicting power. The outcomes of this study point to the importance of further examining the role of task complexity in L2 speech rhythm in spontaneous speech and to what extent L2 speech rhythm is related to global measures of L2 pronunciation proficiency. These findings also highlight the need for identifying which rhythm metrics are more suitable to depict L2 speech elicited through different methods, particularly spontaneous speech.

Building Knowledge across Language Systems: The Role of Audio and Visual Supports in Bilingual Learning through Self-Derivation

Children who enter the US education system as emerging bilinguals (or English Learners) show significant gaps in test scores and graduation rates compared to their English monolingual peers. Dual-language education programs may provide an instructional context that capitalizes on emerging bilingual children’s strengths and supports their academic performance while they acquire English. However, prior research has shown that integrating semantic knowledge across language systems poses a challenge. Supports may mitigate these challenges. Thus, across two studies, we examined instructional practices that may facilitate the integration of academic content across English and Spanish in elementary-age children enrolled in dual-language education programs. In Study 1, we examined whether facts presented through reading-while-listening or children’s silent self-paced reading more effectively supported learning the facts and subsequent integration for dual-language students in grades 3 and 4 (n = 56; Mage = 9.54 years). In Study 2, we examined whether combining graphics with text was more effective in supporting fact learning and cross-language integration compared to facts presented as text alone in dual-language students in grades 4 and 5 (n = 67; Mage = 10.48 years). Overall, the studies replicate the benefits of reading-while-listening and graphics for learning directly taught facts, but underscore the difficulty in integrating semantic knowledge across lessons and languages.

Uncovering principal factors influencing english performance in Chinese middle school students: a statistical and machine learning approach

This study delves into the predictors of English proficiency among middle school students in China, utilizing the rich dataset provided by the China Education Panel Survey (CEPS). By integrating multilevel modeling and Support Vector Regression (SVR), this research scrutinizes a broad spectrum of factors at the individual, family, class, and school levels. Key predictors identified include students’ native language proficiency (Chinese), cognitive aptitude, perceptions of English difficulty, attitudes toward English teachers, and parental involvement. The findings emphasize the significant impact of individual and family-level variables on English proficiency, highlighting the critical role of these modifiable factors (i.e. individual-level factors, such as students’ native language proficiency and perceptions and attitudes towards the English subject). The comparative analysis demonstrates that while both multilevel models and SVR offer valuable insights, their combined application yields a more comprehensive understanding of the predictors and their interactions. This dual-method approach showcases the potential of integrating multilevel modeling with support vector regression to enhance educational research, thereby informing policy and practice. The study’s insights are vital for developing targeted educational strategies and policies to support bilingual learners in China, ultimately improving language proficiency and educational outcomes.

Agency and Register in Translanguaging: Middle School Bilingual Learners Engaging in Social Studies Inquiry

Agency and Register in Translanguaging: Middle School Bilingual Learners Engaging in Social Studies Inquiry

Factors of Language Dominance Chosen by Young Self-Learning Bilinguals on X Platform

This study aims to explore the patterns of English language dominance among young self-learning bilinguals on platform X, while also uncovering the factors that affect their ability to communicate with others in English. Additionally, it examines how the use of English as the dominant language impacts these young bilingual learners. The research employs a qualitative approach, gathering data through in-depth interviews with participants and focusing on the social media accounts of bilingual youth engaged in independent learning on platform X. The collected data is analyzed through a data condensation process leading to conclusions. The findings indicate that specific languages play a significant role in fostering emotional connections and enhancing language proficiency, which in turn influences the dominant language usage among young self-learning bilinguals on X by creating meaningful connections through language. Furthermore, the study discusses how a language can develop linguistic skills through patterns of communicative interaction, which can affect each individual's language preferences and proficiencies. It highlights the positive correlation between proficiency in one language and proficiency in another, emphasizing the various interaction dynamics among factors such as language skills, personal backgrounds, language delivery, and the ability to interpret and understand communication outcomes.

Penerapan Pembelajaran Bilingual pada Anak Usia Dini di Desa Kabuna Haliwen Atambua, Nusa Tenggara Timur

In general, people in the world today have bilingualism to communicate. Without language, a person will not be able to communicate with others. So this language skill must be developed since children are at an early age. Language development begins in infancy and relies on its role in experience, mastery and language growth. Children learn language since infancy where before learning to speak they communicate through crying, smiling and body movements. Learning language is very crucial at the age of before six years. Therefore, early childhood education is a very important vehicle in developing children's language so that this condition can facilitate the development of language skills in early childhood. This study aims to identify the application of bilingual learning in early childhood in the village of Kabuna Haliwen Atambua, East Nusa Tenggara. The design of this study is quantitative with a pre and post control approach. 12 early childhood children in Kabuna Haliwen Atambua Village, East Nusa Tenggara. The largest number of early childhood children is 6 years old, 5 people, 3 people, and 4 years old. gender is male, 7 people and female, 5 people. The Implementation of Bilingual Learning in Early Childhood has increased by 37% from an average of 60% to 97%. The implementation of bilingual learning in early childhood is very important to be implemented in everyday life. Implement the Implementation of Bilingual Learning through simulation activities. Become evidence in the development of English language science, especially in improving the Implementation of Bilingual Learning in Early Childhood.

Integrating Research-Based Indicators of Emergent Biliteracy Teaching Practices for Emerging Bilingual Learners

This research explored how bilingual teachers of young Dual Language Leaners ages 0-3 integrated Reyes and Azuara’s (2008) Ecological Model of Emergent Biliteracy in their classrooms to foster bilingualism, biliteracy, and academic success. Dual Language Learners are the fastest-growing population of young children in the country that speak a language other than English. As so, the early childhood workforce must integrate the Ecological Model of Emergent Biliteracy for emergent biliteracy development and equitable emergent biliteracy teaching practices to support the natural biliteracy development of young Spanish-English Dual Language Learners. Qualitative data was collected through interviews and observations and were analyzed using the grounded theory stages of coding. The findings recommend immersing Dual Language Learners in equitable learning opportunities that incorporate their cultural knowledge, languages, experiences, and learning to support the precursors for emerging biliteracy development.

Bilingual families and the home literacy environment: An examination of English and ethnic language activities and outcomes

BackgroundAccumulating evidence shows that the home literacy environment (HLE) has a potent and early influence on children's language and literacy development. However, there is a more limited understanding of HLE and its contribution to children's outcomes for simultaneous bilingual children exposed to two languages at home, particularly in the Asian context.MethodsIn this study with 801 six‐year‐old bilingual learners, HLE and language and literacy outcomes were examined in two languages. Children were assessed in their receptive vocabulary, reading and spelling abilities for English plus their ethnic Asian language (Mandarin Chinese, Malay or Tamil) for a subsample of 374 children.ResultsResults from factor analyses suggest that HLE for each language within families had a different latent structure, with three to four factors for English (parent involvement, parent habit, child exploration and shared reading) and three factors for the Asian language (parent involvement, parent habit and child interest). Further path analyses show that shared reading had a negative contribution to English outcomes but a positive influence on Asian language outcomes.ConclusionsFindings extend existing understanding of HLE structure for bilingual language learners from bilingual families. HLE components contributed differently to bilingual language outcomes, with positive contributions of child exploration to English outcomes and of parent habits including shared reading to Asian language outcomes. Negative relationships for shared reading to English outcomes are also evident and suggest that further research on the long‐term effects of HLE is needed.

Early skills that predict English reading ability: A longitudinal study of bilingual children from 5 to 10 years

Despite substantial research, the contribution of oral language skills acquired in Spanish to Spanish–English bilingual children’s acquisition of English reading skill is unclear. The current study addressed this question with data on the oral language and pre-literacy skills of 101 Spanish–English bilingual learners at 5 years of age and their English word reading (i.e., decoding) and reading comprehension skills at 6, 7, 8, 9, and 10 years. Separate multilevel models using English language, Spanish language, and pre-literacy skills as predictors of these outcomes identified English phonological awareness, Spanish phonological awareness, and concepts of print knowledge as positive predictors of word reading. A final model including all these significant predictors found only Spanish phonological awareness and concept of print to be significant predictors. Significant predictors of reading comprehension in separate models were English vocabulary, Spanish phonological awareness, and concepts about print. In the final model, only English vocabulary and Spanish phonological awareness predicted English reading comprehension. These findings provide evidence that phonological awareness is a language-general skill that supports reading across languages, consistent with the common underlying proficiency model of bilingual reading development. The finding that only English vocabulary predicts English reading comprehension suggests that vocabulary knowledge is not part of a common underlying proficiency but is language specific in its value to reading ability.

Analisis Penerapan Pembelajaran Bilingual Siswa Kelas IV di SDI Rutosoro

Abstract Background: Bilingual learning is bilingual learning, in which Indonesian and foreign languages are combined with each other. Objectives: The main purpose of this study is to analyze the application of Bilingual learning at SDI Rutosoro, as a provision to help students master the two languages taught in an academic context, in addition to practicing language and communication skills, and to develop foreign languages. The research approach used is a qualitative approach with a descriptive method. Methods: The data collection method in this study uses interviews, observations and documentation. Results: Based on the results of the research in the implementation of bilingual learning, the main is preparation in carrying out learning activities that refer to the applicable curriculum as well as infrastructure and support from the school, in the process of implementing bilingual learning carried out at SDI Rutosoro. Conclusion: The results of the analysis showed that there was student activity in participating in bilingual learning which was shown by an activity percentage of 65%. Keywords: Bilingual Learning, Primary School

Pembelajaran Bilingual: Pemerolehan dan Perkembangan Bahasa Kedua Terhadap Kemampuan Kognitif Anak Bilingual

This research focuses on the implementation of bilingual learning in schools from early childhood which can influence the acquisition and development of a second language and children's cognitive abilities. The aim of this research is to describe theories from the results of several other studies regarding the influence of second language acquisition on the cognitive abilities of bilingual children. The research method used is qualitative with a library study approach to collect information from various library sources that are relevant to the research topic. The data sources in this research were obtained from books and articles that discuss the phenomenon of bilingualism as well as research results that refer to the cognitive abilities of bilingual children. In the results and discussion section, it can be concluded that children's acquisition of a second language can influence cognitive abilities. Bilingual learning makes students more flexible in multilingual environments and provides better opportunities to participate in global society. From a cognitive perspective, bilingual children have better skills than monolingual children. However, the effectiveness of bilingual learning can be achieved if it is facilitated by several supporting factors. Overall, the advantages of bilingual children outweigh the disadvantages

Tracing the History: Language Education Policy and Emergent Bilingual Learners in the United States

Since the passage of the 1968 Bilingual Education Act, the meaning, function, and connotation of bilingual education in the United States have undergone significant changes. In this article, the author outlines the evolution of U.S. language education policies for emergent bilingual learners since the 19th century. In particular, the article demonstrates the major waves and shifts of language education policies that either support or oppress the linguistic rights of language minoritized students, and captures how the changing social, political, and economic climate has shaped the nation’s response to language diversity. Importantly, reviewing the historical evolution of language policies not only echoes the importance of policy decisions in impacting bilingual students’ educational trajectories, but also informs future policy decisions in order to disrupt deficit positioning of bilingual communities.

Bilingual Science Popularization for School-age Children Based on Community Science Museum

This study aims to explore the effective ways for English major volunteers to carry out bilingual science popularization activities based on community science museum. Firstly, the content and process of the activity are elaborated, the existing problems are pointed out, and relevant suggestions are given. It is found that bilingual science popularization based on the community science museum not only helps to enhance the scientific knowledge and bilingual learning of community youth, but also promote the development of community culture.

Third language English performance at the onset of schooling: effects of bilingualism and exposure in Catalan-Spanish bilingual children

ABSTRACT Research on the effects of bilingualism on third language (L3) development set in bilingual communities is scarce, outdated, and has provided mixed results. This study investigated the effects of exposure and age of onset of acquisition (AOA) of L3-English, as well as first and second language (L1/L2) skills and use, in the development of L3-English lexical and grammatical receptive abilities in Catalan-Spanish bilingual learners in Catalonia. The study followed a longitudinal design with three data collection times: Times 1 and 2 took place at the onset and the end of Grade 1, respectively, and Time 3 happened at the end of Grade 2. Results showed an overall growth of vocabulary and grammar over the first two years of primary schooling. In addition to testing time, L3-English exposure outside of school predicted higher receptive vocabulary and grammar skills, whereas an older English AOA predicted lower skills. The L1/L2 variables showed different associations to the vocabulary and grammar scores. However, the minoritized language, Catalan, bore a stronger association with the two L3 outcomes than the majority language, Spanish.

Examining One-Way Dual Language Elementary Latinx Bilingual Learners’ Trajectory on a State Standardized Reading Assessment

ABSTRACT The U.S. population has become more racially and ethnically diverse over time. The Latinx population growth makes Spanish the most common language encountered in non-native English-speaking populations such as Texas. The research objective of this study was to examine if implementing a One-Way Dual Language Education (DLE) Program could result in positive outcomes on the reported reading performance of Latinx bilinguals as indicated by the State of Texas Assessment of Academic Readiness (STAAR) standardized assessment. This study aimed to investigate the possible impact the one-way dual language program may have on bilingual learners’ (BLs) reading assessment scores compared to other second language learners in Texas. The study analyzed the standardized state assessment reading scores in both English and Spanish of over 1100 BLs in a one-way DLE program and found that the BLs in the dataset demonstrated a positive trajectory in the mean scale scores as they progressed through elementary grades. The results provide a significant contribution to the research that supports the effectiveness of DLE programs, especially for Latinx BLs.

Convivialist multilingual education: theoretical and practical suggestions from a Norwegian perspective

The article aims at exploring the use of multilingual education to build a convivialist society. The article reflects theoretically on how to combine convivialist education and multilingual education. Today’s hyperdiversity in society faces a dual challenge in accelerating and unsettling climate change. The convivialist manifesto entails five key principles namely: common naturality where humans are interdependent with nature; common humanity which must be respected in each person beyond any identity differences; common sociality, based on long-lasting and rich relationships in various human communities; legitimate individuation where the singularity of the person contributes to the common good; and eventually, creative opposition where conflicts are dealt in a fertile, peaceful and deliberative manner. These key principles are additionally subordinated to the need to control human desire for hubris and never-ending possession which represents a political alternative to material growth ideology. The concept of intertwining convivialist education and multilingual education is illustrated through a case study [Master dissertation] in a Norwegian school context focusing on the significance of mother tongue education in the school curriculum for mitigating climate change. The data for the case study was gathered by conducting focus group discussions with three mother tongue teachers and two Norwegian language teachers working in a language school for newly arrived immigrant pupils in Norway. The findings identified the limitation of the Norwegian, section 2-8, lacunas in the bilingual learning curricula and it argued for the need to strengthen mother tongue education and the role of mother tongue teachers in promoting sustainable development in the school curriculum. Based on the study’s specific contextual findings and theoretical perspectives combining convivialist and multilingual education, the article infers that promoting multilingual education in schools can help mitigate climate change, and promote biocultural diversity and build a more convivialist society. The article thus aims to suggest some practical suggestions in a Norwegian plurilingual context and furthermore, it explores an expanded theoretical frame for convivialist multilingual education.