Latino Children Attending a Two-Way Immersion Program in the United States: A Comparative Case Analysis

Abstract

Research on two-way immersion programs has empirically investigated the success of such programs on children's dual-language development. The present study focuses on the language abilities of Latino children attending a Spanish–English differentiated two-way immersion program in the United States. Family dynamics relating to placement in this program is investigated using mixed methods. Parents identified six factors for placing their child in this program. Children experienced growth in their language abilities in English and/or Spanish as they completed the first 2 years of the program. These findings provide a better understanding of Latino children enrolled in dual-language programs.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

This research was funded through a National Science Foundation Minority Postdoctoral Fellowship to Lisa M. López (award # 0109201) while at the Harvard Graduate School of Education.

Notes

¹ This study is a subproject of a program project entitled Acquiring Literacy in English directed by the Center for Applied Linguistics, Washington, DC. The program project is funded by the National Institute for Child Health and Human Development and the Office for Educational Research and Improvement, U.S. Department of Education (Grant No. P01 HD39530).

² In addition to a Spanish–English dual-language program, this school district also offers a Portuguese–English dual-language program.

³ CALP levels are calculated based on standard scores. A change in standard scores indicates that the child is developing at a faster or slower rate than what is developmentally expected for a monolingual child of the same age. A positive change in CALP score indicates that children are improving in their language abilities, moving towards a proficiency level similar to that of a monolingual speaker of the language.

⁴ Ramón was included in this count as he was exhibiting these skills when he left the program after kindergarten.

⁵ Except for Katrina who is showing equal dominance in both languages.