Influence of Sequential and Simultaneous Bilingualism on Second Grade Dual Language Students’ Use of Syntax in Reading

Abstract

This study integrated reading and bilingual theories to examine the reading behaviors of second grade Latinx students in a Dual Language program. It explored how the students’ differing language backgrounds (simultaneous bilinguals and sequential bilinguals who had developed Spanish as a home language) might influence their early reading behaviors. Data sources include Spanish and English informal reading inventories and student interviews. While all students struggled with the syntax of grade-level text in Spanish and English, simultaneous bilinguals’ superior ability to use syntax to self-correct in both languages evidenced a stronger syntactical base. The findings have significant implications for equity of instruction and assessment, including: the need to find new ways to analyze bilingual students’ informal reading inventories from an assets-oriented lens, prudence regarding how informal reading inventory results are used, the need for intensive language development in schools, and the use of caution when applying translanguaging theory to emergent bilingual readers.