Competence and Achievement: Upper Elementary Students in a Dual Immersion Program

• In Event: 34.065 - Opportunities and Challenges in Chinese-English Dual-Language Bilingual Education

Abstract

Objective

The purpose of this study was to document the self-assessed competence and academic achievement of upper elementary students enrolled in a Cantonese-English DLBE program. Specifically, we examined the relationship between (a) competence in academic, peer relationships, activities involvement and classroom behavior and (b) academic achievement in both English and Cantonese.

Perspectives

Previous research reports the positive impact of DLBE on students’ language proficiency, yet fewer studies have examined students’ self-assessed competence in such programs and how their competence may impact their academic achievement. By middle childhood, academic competence and peer relationships are important domains of success for children with monolingual English-speaking children enrolled in mainstream classrooms (Masten & Coatesworth, 1998). Competence results from complex interactions between a child and his or her environment (Masten & Coatesworth, 1998). As children in DLBE programs are immersed in two languages and cultures, their self-assessed competence and how that impacts their achievement may be different from those in mainstream classrooms.

Methods and Data

A total of 60 students (35 fourth grade; 25 fifth grade) enrolled in a Cantonese-English DLBE program in an urban district on the West Coast. 43 students were Chinese-American, 10 were non-Asian, and 7 were other Asian. 44 participants identified as Cantonese heritage learners, while the remaining 16 did not.
All students answered questions on the Coatsworth Competence Scale (CCS; Coatsworth, 1992). Achievement records in Cantonese (STAndards-based Measurement of Proficiency-4 Skills Elementary; Avant STAMP 4Se) and English (Smarter Balance Assessment Coalition; SBAC) were collected from district records. A subset of children was invited to participate in a focus group session.

Results

On the CCS, on average, the children scored 3.03 for Academic Competence, 3.15 for Peer Relationships, 2.94 for Activities Involvement, and 3.19 for Classroom Behavior on a scale of 1-4. Language proficiency results showed that, on average, Cantonese immersion students achieved High Intermediate level in listening, Novice Mid-level in reading, and Novice High level in writing. For English achievement, on average, students demonstrated Developing-to-Proficient levels in all of the three components (listening, reading, and writing).
Multiple regression results showed that there was a significant main effect of children’s academic competence, peer relationships, activities involvement and classroom behavior on Cantonese writing. Additionally, there was a significant main effect of academic competence on Cantonese reading. Moreover, heritage status was significant on Cantonese reading after controlling for academic competence, and on Cantonese writing after controlling for peer competence. Regression results showed that classroom and peer competence had effects on English reading and writing. Academic competence also had an effect on English writing. Results from the focus group sessions support these findings and will be discussed.

Significance

The findings point to the importance of academic, peer and classroom competence on Cantonese and English literacy skills. Similar to research on monolingual school-aged children, peer acceptance and popularity appear to be associated with better achievement. Prosocial behavior and academic competence are also fundamental to success in school. Focus group transcripts support these quantitative findings. Policy and instructional implications will be discussed.

Authors

• Shuhua He, UC Davis

• Ty Brownridge, University of California - Davis

• Lu Yang, University of California - Davis

• Genevieve Leung, University of San Francisco

• Qing Zhou, University of California - Berkeley

• Yuuko Uchikoshi, University of California - Davis