Language Immersion Program Research Articles

BOOK REVIEW: TEACHER DEVELOPMENT FOR IMMERSION AND CONTENT-BASED INSTRUCTION

This review provides a concise overview of the book "Teacher Development for Immersion and Content-Based Instruction” by Laurent Cammarata and T. J. Ó Ceallaigh, published in 2020 by John Benjamins Publishing Company. The review highlights its significant contributions to the understanding of global language immersion programs. The book, which features significant input from respected scholars, focuses on filling the knowledge gaps regarding teacher development in the context of language immersion and content-based training. The book consists of seven chapters that address various subjects, including teacher language awareness, the development of professional identity, and the difficulties encountered by immersion educators. The review acknowledges the book's thorough approach but points out a possible omission in distinguishing between Content-Based Instruction and Content and Language Integrated Learning The review suggests that the book is a great resource for educators, academics, and policymakers. The extensive examination of both theory and practice renders it an invaluable resource for individuals engaged in language instruction and research.

“What’s the Use?”: Undoing, Decolonizing, Liberating, and Righting Literacies Assessment in Turbulent Times

In this conceptual paper, we draw upon Ahmed (2019) and ask “what’s the use of assessment?” The Reimagining Literacies Assessment knowledge mobilization project contributes examples from research and pedagogy in classrooms with young children, in a Cree language immersion program, in anti-racist creative writing classrooms, and in research in reading instruction and assessment. Undoing, decolonizing, liberating, righting become concepts to think through the use of assessment and to propose critically urgent and emergent questions, practices, and possibilities for students and teachers.

Navigating and Resisting Educational Systems: The Experiences of Latinx Families in Rural Oregon.

This study explores the experiences of Latinx parents in rural Oregon from the perspectives of Latinx parents, Latinx students, and community practitioners to understand the barriers Latinx families encounter and how they leverage their community cultural wealth to address these barriers within the context of initiatives implemented by the district. This qualitative study is guided by the following questions: What barriers do Latinx families encounter in rural schools, and how do parents leverage their community cultural wealth to address these barriers? Findings indicate that even when families were engaged in initiatives (e.g., dual language immersion programs) implemented by the district to create a welcoming environment, Latinx parents continued to encounter multiple systemic barriers (e.g., immigration laws) and leveraged multiple forms of community cultural wealth (e.g., linguistic capital) to navigate these barriers. Our findings reveal the complex dynamics at play in rural school communities serving Latinx families.

Bittersweet Experiences for Brazilian Newcomers: Positive Interactions, Microaggressions, and Isolation in General and Dual Language Bilingual Education

ABSTRACT With the rise of the number of immigrant children in schools across the U.S. educational research has directed its attention to understanding these newcomers’ social experiences at school. Grounded in critical sociocultural theory, this interpretive phenomenological study shares the social experiences of four Brazilian newcomers in elementary school. Participants were adolescents who were reclassified English learners, had immigrated to the U.S. as children, and attended general education and/or world language dual language bilingual education (DLBE) programs. As adolescents, participants were able to look back on their experiences as designated-English learners and newcomers in elementary school with greater perspective. Analysis of interview data reveal three main themes: (a) positive interactions with other Brazilian students; (b) microaggressions from non-Brazilian students; and (c) isolation due to participants’ language barriers and English hegemony. Findings highlight the importance of Portuguese-English DLBE programs as a place for Brazilian newcomers to support one another, even if the program was considered a world language immersion program due to the low number of Portuguese speakers. Additionally, findings reveal the prevalence of microaggressions and isolation across general and DLBE settings, underscoring the need for schools and teacher preparation programs to equip teachers with tools to support newcomers.

Do we need mother tongue language maintenance in Aceh? Voices from the school setting

There is a possibility that the Acehnese language and other locally used languages in Aceh Province could become threatened if the locals do not make efforts to maintain them. This study aims to explore teachers’ perspectives on maintaining the Acehnese mother tongue in schools. Employing a mixed-methods research design, data was collected through surveys and semi-structured interviews. The survey was distributed via Google Forms to 217 schoolteachers selected through voluntary sampling in Aceh, while interviews were conducted with seven teachers who willingly participated in the study. The results indicate that most teachers agree on maintaining the use of local languages in schools. However, language maintenance may face challenges e.g., globalization, family role, and youth attitude. Hence, teachers recommend that schools should actively promote the use of local languages by designating a special day for celebrating their use and incorporating the languages into local content lessons. This study intends to provide insightful recommendations for policy development regarding the maintenance of local languages in the school setting, particularly in Aceh. It also suggests educational implications, such as integrating these languages into formal schooling and developing educational resources to enhance their use in schools. Furthermore, future research could focus on documenting and preserving local languages, as well as implementing language immersion programs aimed at preserving local languages in Aceh.

Mandarin/English dual language immersion teachers’ understanding of translanguaging pedagogy

Translanguaging pedagogy has gained wide recognition in the field of education as an effective approach to educate emerging bilinguals. This study examines how bilingual teachers understand and adopt this approach in Mandarin/English dual language immersion programs. Four elementary school teachers employed at three different Mandarin/English dual language immersion programs in California were interviewed in-depth about their perspectives on the use of translanguaging pedagogy and their translanguaging stance in their instruction. Guided by the constructs in the Translanguaging Allocation Policy model (Sánchez et al., 2018), the analysis revealed that teachers held an incomplete understanding of translanguaging pedagogy, largely due to a lack of understanding of the theoretical basis upon which translanguaging practices are built in varying teaching contexts. Thus, the teachers mostly resorted to translations as one of their main translanguaging pedagogical practices and saw it as a means to bridge understanding across two languages. In order to support the accessibility of translanguaging pedagogy to a broader range of practitioners, recommendations for professional development and teacher training as well as suggestions for the Translanguaging Allocation Policy model (Sánchez et al., 2018) are provided.

Factors impeding university students' participation in English extracurricular activities: Time constraints and personal obstacles

The incorporation of extracurricular activities (ECAs) that focus on the English language is of utmost importance in higher education as it serves to improve students' interpersonal abilities and proficiency in language. The objective of this study is to ascertain the primary variables that serve as deterrents to the active engagement of university students in these activities. The results highlight notable barriers, including limited time availability and individual issues such as diminished self-assurance in social engagements and restricted competency in the English language. The findings of this study have significant significance for individuals learning a new language and organizers of English language immersion programmes. The research provides valuable insights into the creation of immersive environments that effectively facilitate language acquisition, experiential learning, and enhanced social interactions among students.

Dual Language Immersion Programs and Student Achievement in Early Elementary Grades

This paper presents evidence of the effects of dual language immersion (DLI) programs on the academic outcomes of students in elementary grades. Leveraging enrollment lotteries from four cohorts of DLI applicants across 10 oversubscribed programs, analyses estimate the intent-to-treat effect of access to bilingual education on reading and math test scores. On average, native English-speaking students in Grades 1 through 4 who win access to a DLI program score higher in reading and math by 0.12 and 0.14 SDs, respectively. The achievement gains in test scores are realized as early as first grade.

“Many of our families have moved because they are afraid”: A critical bifocal analysis of the creation of a dual language immersion program

ABSTRACT This paper examines national, state, and local factors impacting the creation of a new dual language immersion program (DLI) program in a Midwestern school district, a relatively understudied regional context. Using a critical bifocal lens and an ethnographic case study methodology, we examined two main questions: first, why was the DLI program created in the focal school district? And second, what were the most salient factors that impacted the creation and implementation of the DLI program? The findings show the significance of analyzing the role of dissimilar social factors in the context of historical and contemporary local and national circumstances when implementing educational options like DLI programs. The evidence provided by this study helps to problematize unidimensional explanations regarding equity and the role of various social actors in the decision making process in school communities. This study highlights the importance of considering local issues from more comprehensive perspectives in bi/multilingual, multiracial, and multiethnic learning contexts.

It’s more the invisible benefits – multilingual parents’ experiences of immersion education and their reasons for choosing immersion

The participation of multilingual children in minority language immersion programmes is under-researched internationally. The Republic of Ireland (RoI) has become a linguistically and culturally diverse society. In the RoI, parents have the opportunity to educate their child in English-medium or Irish-medium (IM) schools. However, the cohort of multilingual children attending IM schools is very small. This study investigated the reasons why parents who spoke a home language other than Irish or English chose to enrol their children in IM primary education. It also investigated parents’ perceptions of the benefits of this form of education. Semi-structured interviews were undertaken with 15 parents from a variety of language backgrounds. It was found that parents were motivated to enrol their child in IM primary schools to provide them with the opportunity to learn a variety of languages at an early age. Benefits associated with learning multiple languages and immersion in Irish culture and heritage were seen as the main advantages of IM education. A minority of parents chose an IM school when there was no space for their child in an English-medium school. Parents reported that they did not experience significant challenges in IM immersion. Recommendations arise to support the participation of multilingual families in immersion education.

Nurturing self-efficacy for culturally responsive teaching through online language immersion

PurposeThis study aims to examine the impact of an online language immersion program on the participants’ self-efficacy for culturally responsive teaching.Design/methodology/approachThe Culturally Responsive Teaching Self-Efficacy Scale (Siwatu, 2007), the Culturally Responsive Teaching Outcome Expectations Scale (Siwatu, 2007) and the Culturally Responsive Classroom Management Self-Efficacy Scale (Siwatu, et al., 2015) were used to examine the impact of the intervention using a pretest/posttest analysis. Participant reflections were also qualitatively coded to provide further insight into the program.FindingsThe intervention showed a statistically significant and positive change to participant’s self-efficacy in the areas of culturally responsive teaching and culturally responsive classroom management. Participants showed growth in outcome expectancy, but this change was not statistically significant.Practical implicationsEducators working with a high number of English learners (EL) can benefit from the intervention, which allows the educator to share in the language learning experience and gain a deeper understanding of the day-to-day challenges faced by their students.Originality/valueThis study represents the second attempt to document the impact of the BaseLang Grammarless program as a professional learning intervention for K-12 educators working in schools with a high rate of EL.

Peran Language Immersion Dalam Pembelajaran Bahasa Arab

Language Immersion (LI) Is a useful program for second language learning, Second language is a medium for learning all subject matter and some activities in the classroom and also outside the classroom, The language is immersed by students anytime and under any circumstances by listening, speaking, reading, writing, and culture as well. Language Immersion in this study focused on Arabic. Language Immersion In learning Arabic is very important to foster a sense of love for students towards Arabic, Language Immersion Is where a student can prioritize Arabic habituation before understanding the rules of Arabic, Students first know early about language behavior before knowing the grammar to be learned afterwards, Students who do this Language immersion will be able to become good pronunciations of the language as well as This research is a descriptive research analysis where researchers collect all scientific material from original sources then read it and translate it, classify it and compile it into their own writing. What is the importance of the immersion linguistics program in learning Arabic for non-native speakers and 2.What is the Language immersion program. The result of this study is that the Language immersion program is very important in teaching foreign languages and this program has a great position among other foreign language learning programs. This program has the privilege of teaching languages quickly and fluently.

Curriculum bridging across Chinese and English instructional times in a one-way dual language education program

ABSTRACT In response to the limitations presented by restrictive language separation practices in dual language immersion programs, this study describes a curriculum bridging approach that was undertaken by a group of teachers in a one-way Chinese English Dual Language Education program to promote and build on students’ full linguistic repertoires. The present study was conducted in a public charter school where students were mostly English dominant. Focusing on language allocation decisions at different levels, we examine how teachers bridged instruction for continuity and reinforcement of students’ content and language learning across Chinese and English instructional times. The findings also reveal challenges teachers faced in the planning and implementation processes of curriculum bridging, which unearthed varying teacher assumptions about specific subject matters and pedagogical strategies. Implications for further research and suggestions for practice to more effectively utilize and build on students’ full linguistic repertoires are provided.

Longitudinal study of Spanish Dual Language Immersion graduates: Secondary school academic and language achievement

AbstractFive cohorts of students (N = 322) who completed a K–5 Spanish Dual Language Immersion (DLI) program in an urban school district were followed longitudinally through middle and high school completion. Academic and language achievement data included English Language Arts and Mathematics scores on the Standardized Testing and Reporting (STAR) test for grades 3–8 and on the California Assessment of Student Performance and Progress (CAASPP) for 11th grade, 10th‐grade cumulative high school grade point average, enrollment in and grades earned in language classes, and attainment of the California Seal of Biliteracy. The DLI students were compared to non‐DLI students who attended the same schools. Most DLI students continued with advanced level classes in Spanish in high school, and nearly half earned the California Seal of Biliteracy. Achievement results indicate that DLI graduates performed at equivalent or higher levels than non‐DLI students on standardized achievement measures for English Language Arts and Mathematics.

Where we are and where we ought to be: The need for research-based assessments for dual language immersion learners

ABSTRACT In this paper, we address a lack of assessments of partner language development in dual language immersion (DLI) programs. We propose several important considerations that are necessary for the creation of research-based assessments of partner language development in DLI programs, focusing on Spanish as an example. We first discuss what these assessments need to test, concentrating on different areas of language that have proven to be challenging for heritage speakers and second language learners of Spanish, both of whom are students in these immersion programs. Next, we discuss how to assess these students through the use of implicit and explicit tasks and by measuring production and comprehension separately. We also advocate for embracing students’ translanguaging practices. Finally, we discuss why we need to assess partner language development. We propose that designing assessments that are simple to interpret will allow teachers, linguists, and policymakers to benefit from the data that they provide. For example, assessments of partner language development can contribute to assessment literacy and the creation of learning standards for bilingual schools. We argue that these considerations are essential for bringing DLI education to where we ought to be in the 21st century.

Language awareness and the online experiences of transnational Chinese dual language teachers during the global pandemic

The experience of transnational teachers who serve in bilingual education programmes in the US remains, by and large, under-examined in the literature. To fill this gap, this study adopted a phenomenological methodology attuning, specifically, to the impact that the shift to online instruction had on the language awareness of five transnational Chinese teachers working at dual language immersion programmes during the Covid-19 pandemic. Using conversations with these professionals as the data source, and mobilising standard language ideology and translanguaging as interpretative frameworks, this study identified three aspects of teachers’ language awareness related to the transition online: (1) contradictions in the linguistic and curricular push towards achieving linguistic homogeneity within dual language immersion programmes, (2) the influence of monoglossic language policies in practical teaching decisions and (3) the surfacing of translingual pedagogies as a demand of the online space.

A Review of the Contemporary Challenges Faced by Chinese Immersion Education and Its Related Teacher Preparations in the United States

This study reviews the emerging studies on the topic of Chinese immersion programs in the U.S. The effectiveness of Chinese immersion programs has been proved to have positive impacts on students’ language proficiency, academic performance, and cognitive development. However, challenges in curriculum and instructions, behavior management, and cross-cultural communication have been limiting the performance of Chinese language immersion programs. To address these challenges, Chinese immersion teachers should be provided with preparations and training on the knowledge of designing multi-subject curriculum in the Chinese language, utilizing instructional strategies in immersion settings, and developing cross-cultural competency.

How Teachers and Leaders Facilitate Integration in a Two-Way Dual Language Immersion Program

Background/Context: Public school enrollment in the United States is becoming increasingly racially and linguistically diverse; however, school segregation continues to intensify across the nation. Within this context, two-way dual language immersion (TWI) programs, which intentionally strive to balance English learners and English speakers, may create a natural opportunity for integration. Research Question: How do teachers and leaders facilitate integrative interactions among students of different racial and linguistic groups in a TWI program? Research Design: This qualitative, holistic, single case study explores the TWI program at Silverthorne Elementary School (pseudonym), a K-5 traditional public school in the southeastern United States. Silverthorne is in a rural community on the outskirts of a large metropolitan area that is a new immigrant destination. At the time of data collection, Silverthorne’s TWI program was in its seventh year of implementation. Participants include 12 teachers, one guidance counselor, and one school leader. We conducted semi-structured individual interviews with all participants, observed eight classrooms, and analyzed supplemental documents. We used inductive coding and ultimately generated four themes to describe how TWI teachers and leaders facilitate integration. Findings: Silverthorne’s TWI program provides an opportunity to facilitate integration among students from different racial and linguistic backgrounds. The nature of these integrative experiences is shaped by the structure of the TWI program, the teachers’ conceptualizations of diversity, the teachers’ pedagogical and curricular decisions, and the school leader’s support of the TWI program. Conclusion: Although teachers and leaders in the Silverthorne TWI program have promoted integration in numerous ways, they also have missed important opportunities to facilitate greater integration. Nonetheless, this TWI program illustrates the potential of TWI to provide opportunities for students from different racial and linguistic backgrounds to learn together in a truly integrated environment. Findings suggest the need for enhanced professional development regarding how to facilitate integration in diverse classrooms as well as future research to understand how, if at all, integration is considered when districts and schools are designing and implementing TWI programs.

Contributions of Oral Narrative Skills to English Reading in Spanish-English Latino/a Dual Language Learners.

The study examined the contributions of Spanish and English oral narrative skills to English reading among 95 early elementary dual language learners (DLLs) from Spanish-speaking homes in the United States. This sample of first- and third-grade DLL children attended Spanish-English dual language immersion programs and received language and literacy instruction in both English and Spanish. All participants completed a storytelling task in both languages and two English reading tests in decoding and reading comprehension. The story narratives were analyzed for microstructures (number of different new words, lexical diversity [D], mean length of utterance, subordination index [SI]) using the Computerized Language ANalysis program. The narrative samples were also evaluated for macrostructures (i.e., discourse-level features) using the Narrative Scoring Scheme. Grade, English D, and Spanish SI significantly predicted English reading. Grade level was the strongest predictor of the three for both decoding and comprehension. However, Spanish SI was more robust than English D for decoding whereas English D was a stronger predictor than Spanish SI for comprehension. Young DLL children's oral narrative skills in English as well as in their home language Spanish contributed to their English reading outcomes. The study further specified the contributions of narrative elements to different reading skills. Microstructural elements appeared to play a stronger role in English reading than macrostructural elements for DLLs in dual language programs in early elementary grades. The results provided support for the simple view of reading and the linguistic interdependence hypothesis. The results also implicated that maintaining young DLL children's home language skills may be beneficial, rather than harmful, to their English reading development.

A Comparison of Fourth-Grade Students Taught in English-Only Classrooms and Spanish-Only Classrooms in the Same District

Language immersion programs are becoming more available as a form of school choice in both private and public education in the United States and beyond. While there is research on the benefits of immersion education regarding overall intelligence, there is still much skepticism as to why parents would place their child in an immersion program vs. a traditional program where all academics are taught in English. This study presents the data from two schools in the same school district in a Midwest state that took the bold move to create a stand-alone one-way Spanish full immersion school. The analysis show that students educated in the immersion program scored statistically better than their similarly situated peers on the Smarter Balanced Assessment in mathematics and the Measure of Academic Progress in mathematics and reading. The analysis also showed the students educated in the immersion program performed better than their similarly situated peers on the Smarter Balanced Assessment in English language arts and the ABC District Writing Assessment, but statistical significance was not found. While this study is based upon a one-way full immersion program, the findings may also apply to dual and two-way immersion programs where similar results may be achieved for English Language Learners educated in their native language as well as in English.