Students’ attitudinal development in a dual language bilingual education program from Grade 1 to Grade 5

ABSTRACT

Measures of 31 Latinx students’ attitudes in a Grade 5 Spanish dual language bilingual education (DLBE) program were compared with those of the same students four years prior. Twenty-one mainstream English students comprised a comparison group for the same time period. Some statistically significant changes occurred for students in DLBE related to loss of enthusiasm toward Spanish, but this loss was attenuated for ELLs; similar changes occurred for mainstream English students, with a few exceptions. Measures related to multiculturalism increased marginally for students in both programs. Implications are discussed regarding equitable spaces to nurture the sociocultural competence of bilingual students.

Acknowledgments

The author expresses his gratitude to Silvia Lezama and the Grade 5 teachers at the elementary school where she serves as principal for their support to carry out this study at the end of a difficult pandemic year.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Notes

1. Due to a high level of skewness with the Grade 5 variable, the data were transformed using the logarithmic approach, and the outcome was similar, with p = 0.067, d = 0.35. This was also the case for other transformed variables. For this and other variables, non-parametric statistics (Mann-Whitney U for independent samples or the Wilcoxon Signed Rank Test for paired samples) were used in addition to the t-Test due to concerns about continued skewness after transformation, and the non-parametric analyses corroborated the outcomes of the t-Test noted in the tables. One exception is noted below in the next footnote.

2. Due to a high level of skewness, this analysis was also run with a non-parametric statistic (the Mann-Whitney U), and the difference did not reach significance (p = 0.84). Welch’s test statistic was used for the entire cross-sectional analysis due to unequal sample sizes.

3. This might explain why grade five ME students perceived parents as speaking slightly more Spanish in fifth grade (see Table 7). As they gradually develop more biculturalism, they become aware of non-English language use in their midst.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Nicholas C. Block

Nicholas C. Block– Nick began his teaching career in Bogotá, Colombia as a science teacher at both the elementary and secondary levels. It was there that he had his first experience with dual language education. Subsequently, he taught for 27 years mainly in the Los Angeles area at an elementary school that became a Spanish two-way immersion school. He has now been a full-time associate professor at the Biola School of Education for eight years. Within the field of dual language education, he has begun to research characteristics of thriving dual language schools. Other research interests have included vocabulary development and the role of religion in teachers’ approach to their work.