The Miseducation of Hispanic Children

Author(s):  
J. Elizabeth Casey ◽  
Selina V. Mireles

Future teachers must be prepared to use instructional strategies to support diverse students, especially English learners (ELs). Whether a student's first language is Spanish, Russian, etc., having access to native language is vital to support learning. Likewise, preparing K-12 teachers to employ appropriate pedagogical methods to support learning is critical. In two separate studies, the first author accumulated field notes and reflections on observations and events that occurred during a research study on the effectiveness of metacognitive strategies in supporting ELs' academic performance. These post-study reflections revealed distinct differences in first language support that may have impacted student learning. In one study, ELs had limited opportunities to access their first language. In a second study, ELs were provided multiple opportunities to access native language. The authors reflect on differing instructional approaches used with ELs, arguing that opportunities to access native language is essential in supporting English acquisition and academic learning/performance.

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Siqin Yang ◽  
Xiaochen Zhang ◽  
Minghu Jiang

Bilinguals were documented to access their native or first language (L1) during comprehension of their second languages (L2). However, it is uncertain whether they can access L2 when reading their first language. This study used the event-related potential (ERP) technique to demonstrate the implicit and unconscious access to English words when Chinese–English bilinguals read words in Chinese, their native language. The participants were asked to judge whether the Chinese words presented in pairs were semantically related or not, meanwhile unconscious of the occasional alliteration (repetition of the first phoneme) if the Chinese words were translated into English. While the concealed prime in English translations failed to affect the reaction time, the alliteration significantly modulated N400 among advanced English learners, especially for semantically unrelated word pairs. Critically, this modulation effect was discrepant between bilinguals with high-level and normal-level English proficiency. These results indicate that L2 activation is an unconscious correlate of native-language processing depending on L2 proficiency.


2009 ◽  
Vol 31 (3) ◽  
pp. 371-402 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alison Gabriele

Previous studies have shown that it is particularly difficult for second language (L2) learners to overcome the effects of transfer when they need to unlearn specific aspects of the native language in the absence of explicit input that indicates which properties of the first language (L1) are ruled out by the L2 grammar (Inagaki, 2001; Westergaard, 2003; White, 1991a, 1991b). The present study focuses on the effects of transfer in the domain of aspectual semantics through an investigation of the interpretation of the present progressive in L2 English and the imperfective marker te-iru in L2 Japanese and examines whether L2 learners can rule out interpretations available in the L1 but not in the L2. Japanese learners of English (n = 101), English native-speaker controls (n = 23), English learners of Japanese (n = 31), and Japanese native-speaker controls (n = 33) completed an interpretation task in English or Japanese. The results show that the L2 Japanese learners were more successful than the L2 English learners in both acquiring the semantics of the imperfective in the L2 and ruling out interpretations available only in the L1. It is proposed that successful unlearning depends on both the grammatical complexity of the semantic target in the L2 and the transparency of the input cues available to the learner.


2022 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
pp. p1
Author(s):  
Steve Daniel Przymus ◽  
Zachary Brooks

Do adult learners of English make different and sometimes better decisions in English than their monolingual peers and teachers? It is likely, possible, and probable. Using evidence from classroom decision making studies, with over 500 participants, we demonstrate that often adult English learners (henceforth adult Active Bilingual Learners/Users of English [ABLE]) make more accurate decisions in English than first language English speakers, when given time and the ability to utilize their whole linguistic repertoire (i.e., translanguaging). We specifically look at differences in decisions that involve 1) common adverbs of frequency (rare, possible, likely, frequently, etc.) and 2) system 1 (implicit) vs. system 2 (analytical) thinking in cognitive reflection tests, such as math story problems. Understanding these surprising differences and advantages in decision making in English as an Additional Language (EAL) has important practical implications for test preparation and daily instruction for adult ABLE students, and potentially as well for ABLE youth in K-12 schools.


2003 ◽  
Author(s):  
Amy Merickel ◽  
Robert Linquanti ◽  
Thomas B. Parrish ◽  
Maria Pérez ◽  
Marian Eaton ◽  
...  

Author(s):  
Thomas B. Parrish ◽  
◽  
Robert Linquanti ◽  
Amy Merickel ◽  
Heather E. Quick ◽  
...  

2017 ◽  
Vol 7 (6) ◽  
pp. 637-667 ◽  
Author(s):  
Monika S. Schmid ◽  
Barbara Köpke

Abstract Research on second language acquisition and bilingual development strongly suggests that when a previously monolingual speaker becomes multilingual, the different languages do not exist in isolation: they are closely linked, dependent on each other, and there is constant interaction between these different knowledge systems. Theoretical frameworks of bilingual development acknowledge this insofar as they usually draw heavily on evidence of how the native language influences subsequent languages, and how and to what degree this influence can eventually be overcome. The fact that such crosslinguistic transfer is not a one-way street, and that the native language is similarly influenced by later learned languages, on the other hand, is often disregarded. We review the evidence on how later learned languages can re-shape the L1 in the immediate and the longer term and demonstrate how such phenomena may be used to inform, challenge and validate theoretical approaches of bilingual development.


AERA Open ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 7 ◽  
pp. 233285842110255
Author(s):  
David Harper ◽  
Anita R. Bowles ◽  
Lauren Amer ◽  
Nick B. Pandža ◽  
Jared A. Linck

English learners (ELs) in K–12 schools must acquire English while simultaneously mastering content knowledge. Educational technology may support students’ learning through the affordance of individualized language practice. The current randomized controlled trial intervention study examined the effects of Rosetta Stone Foundations software on English learning among middle school ELs. The study took place in Grades 6 to 8 of an urban U.S. school district ( N = 221). Predictors of interest included time of testing (pretest vs. posttest) and software usage, and covariates included grade level, sex, and attendance. Additionally, socioeconomic status and home language were accounted for due to sample homogeneity. Multilevel models indicated that treatment group students showed larger gains than control group students on oral/aural outcomes. These results indicate that the software intervention enables individualized practice that can produce proficiency-related gains over and above the typical classroom curriculum.


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