Academic and Language Outcomes in Spanish-English DLBE (Dual Language Bilingual Education) Programs

• In Event: Dual Language Bilingual Education: Trends, Policy, Pedagogy, and Future Directions

Abstract

Objectives: This review of the literature addresses three questions: 1) What are the language and literacy outcomes of DLBE students in Spanish-English programs, and how do they vary by student and program characteristics; 2) how does students’ bilingualism manifest itself in language and literacy outcomes; and 3) how do pedagogical practices shape students’ language and literacy outcomes?
Methods and Frameworks: Focusing on studies conducted from 2011-2021, we conducted three searches of all publication types to capture a comprehensive body of relevant research. Our first search relied on a combined EBSCOhost search of the ERIC, PSYCInfo, MLA International, and Academic Host Premier databases. To increase the likelihood of capturing relevant literature from Spain and Latin America, we also conducted searches through Dialnet and HAPI. We then completed an inclusion/exclusion review, using the following criteria: the study had to have 1) included students enrolled in a Spanish/English DLBE program that extended at least through the elementary grades; and 2) reported English and/or Spanish language/literacy outcomes. We independently rated the same 20 articles, resulting in .85 agreement. We reconciled the disagreements and further clarified our inclusion/exclusion criteria, then double-rated another 10 papers, increasing the overall inter-rater agreement to .9. We single-rated the remaining papers, yielding a total of 81 publications for potential inclusion. Given space limitations, we further restricted the sources to the 39 journal articles. Finally, we reviewed and coded the articles for responses to the three research questions.
Results: Consistent with earlier reviews, this paper found that:
● DLBE students demonstrate continuous progress in language and literacy outcomes in both English and Spanish.
● There is a societal language effect, such that students tend towards English use, and the English performance of Spanish home-language speakers is stronger than the Spanish performance of English home-language speakers.
● There is a home language effect, such that students who speak a language at home tend to perform better in that language than students who do not.
● There are equivocal findings for the studies investigating within-DLBE program effects.
● Students in dual language programs typically perform as well as or better than students in other program models in both English and Spanish by the upper elementary or secondary grades.
New or more nuanced findings indicate that:
● Outcomes vary by the specific language subdomain; by student grade-level and biliteracy profile; by the ways in which the students are categorized (e.g., by home language use, as first or second language speakers, according to past or present EL status, etc.); and by study methods.
● There was some evidence of students’ bilingualism manifesting itself in certain areas, such as cognate awareness, spelling, and translanguaging.
● There are some emerging positive findings about the effects of translanguaging pedagogy within the context of DLBE, but the studies with comparison groups demonstrated equivocal results.
Significance: Given the explosive growth in Spanish-English DLBE programs, there is a pressing need for clarity about program outcomes and the ways in which they may vary by program model features, student populations, and instructional approaches.

Author

• Elizabeth R. Howard, University of Connecticut