Child Care and Early Education Research Connections

Skip to main content

Effects of transitional bilingual education on Spanish-speaking preschoolers' literacy and language development: Year 2 results

Share
Description:
Year 2 findings are reported from a longitudinal, experimental-control study involving 31 Spanish-speaking preschoolers (aged 38-48 months) randomly assigned to two Head Start classrooms. In Year 1, classrooms differed only in the language of instruction, with teachers using only Spanish in one classroom and only English in the other. In Year 2, an experimental transitional bilingual education (TBE) model was implemented, with English being gradually introduced in the TBE classroom until a ratio of 30:70 English-to-Spanish was achieved and Spanish being gradually introduced in the predominantly English (PE) classroom until a ratio of 70:30 English-to-Spanish was achieved. Year 2 results were consistent with Year 1, with the TBE classroom exceeding the PE classroom on all Spanish measures of language and literacy development and no significant differences favoring the PE classroom. Results also indicated that Year 2 trajectories were conditional on first-year effects, suggesting that sustained growth in dual language learner's early literacy may depend on early intervention among 3-year-old preschoolers. (author abstract)
Resource Type:
Reports & Papers
Country:
United States
State(s):
Minnesota

Related resources include summaries, versions, measures (instruments), or other resources in which the current document plays a part. Research products funded by the Office of Planning, Research, and Evaluation are related to their project records.

- You May Also Like

These resources share similarities with the current selection.

What does 20 years of research say about teaching language and literacy in preschool?

Fact Sheets & Briefs

Effectiveness of early literacy instruction: Summary of 20 years of research

Literature Review

Preschool children’s engagement and school readiness skills: Exploring differences between Spanish-speaking dual language learners and monolingual English-speaking preschoolers

Reports & Papers

Child Care & Development Block Grant (CCDBG) state fact sheets

Interactive Tools
Release: 'v1.28.0' | Built: 2023-04-17 15:59:38 EDT