My research centers around the bilingual language development of children who have been exposed to both English and Spanish from birth, also known as simultaneous bilinguals. English-Spanish bilinguals are a growing demographic in the United States. In the 2009-2010 school year, there were an estimated 3.4 million Spanish-English bilingual students in the United States public school system. These students accounted for 76.8% of the totality of students enrolled English language learner programs (Digest of Education Statistics. 2013. Table 204.25. Number and percentage of public school students participating in programs for English language learners, by race/ethnicity: Selected years, 2009-2013). By the school year 2012-2013, there were approximately 3.59 million Spanish-English bilingual students in public schools in the United States, accounting for 78.4% of all students in public schools participating in English language learner programs (Digest of Education Statistics. 2013. Table 204.25. Number and percentage of public school students participating in programs for English language learners, by race/ethnicity: Selected years, 2009-2013). Due to the growth of the Spanish-English student population and because English language learner programs target at-risk students for poor English language proficiency, there is a clear need to learn more about this population.
My work emphasizes four patterns of outcomes for English-Spanish bilingual children tested at 30 and 48 months of age. These patterns of outcome include the following groups: those with high proficiency in both languages, those with dominance in one language, either English or Spanish, and those with low proficiency in both languages. The results indicate that, at both time points, children with high proficiency in both languages were more likely to be firstborn females of mothers with a four-year or greater college degree. Children in the Spanish dominance groups received, on average, more than half of their at home input in Spanish and had more than one native Spanish speakers in the home. Correspondingly, those that were English dominant received more than half of their at home input in English and had more than one native English speakers in the home. These findings help build an initial understanding of different bilingual profiles, suggesting that potential demographic characteristics and factors may deferentially impact bilingual children’s language development. These findings may inform educators and policy makers on the necessary instruction techniques that promote bilingual students’ success.
My work emphasizes four patterns of outcomes for English-Spanish bilingual children tested at 30 and 48 months of age. These patterns of outcome include the following groups: those with high proficiency in both languages, those with dominance in one language, either English or Spanish, and those with low proficiency in both languages. The results indicate that, at both time points, children with high proficiency in both languages were more likely to be firstborn females of mothers with a four-year or greater college degree. Children in the Spanish dominance groups received, on average, more than half of their at home input in Spanish and had more than one native Spanish speakers in the home. Correspondingly, those that were English dominant received more than half of their at home input in English and had more than one native English speakers in the home. These findings help build an initial understanding of different bilingual profiles, suggesting that potential demographic characteristics and factors may deferentially impact bilingual children’s language development. These findings may inform educators and policy makers on the necessary instruction techniques that promote bilingual students’ success.
Current Presentations:
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www.sun-sentinel.com/local/broward/davie/fl-pf-fauresearch-0329-20170327-story.html