How Does Indigenous-Language Immersion Compare With English-Medium Approaches? Findings From a Matched-Pair Analysis

• In Event: Academic Well-Being and Decolonial Racial Justice: Findings From a National Study of Indigenous-Language Schooling

Abstract

Objectives/Purposes. The quantitative component of the Indigenous-language immersion study examines differences between ILI students and their peers in English-medium (EM) classrooms on key outcomes of interest, specifically students’ development in mathematics and English language arts (ELA) as measured by standardized assessments used by our Partner Schools. Perspectives/Theoretical Framework. This is a matched-pair, counterfactual analysis. By comparing matched pairs of students who are similarly situated when they begin kindergarten, we are able to approximate a counterfactual comparison between the outcomes that a hypothetical student might have exhibited had they enrolled in an ILI program (as opposed to EM), and vice versa. Methods, Techniques, or Modes of Inquiry. For this presentation we compare the averages and variances of the matched groups of ILI and EM students’ test scores as they progress from kindergarten through fifth grade at one of the partner sites, and from sixth grade through the end of eighth grade at another site. Data Sources/Evidence. We use student-level administrative data shared by our Partner Schools to identify matched pairs of ILI and EM students with similar background characteristics, including Indigenous heritage, gender, free/reduced-price lunch eligibility, special education status, and, when available, students’ scores on emergent literacy and numeracy tests upon entry to kindergarten. Results and/or Substantiated Conclusions or Warrants for Arguments. Overall, with respect to ELA and math, we find that the ILI students at these sites score as highly, or higher, on average, than their peers in EM classrooms—even though these tests are administered in English, which is not the language of instruction for most ILI students’ schooling. At the same time, ILI students are learning their ancestral language, and—as evidenced in the ILI study’s qualitative findings—developing a strong identity, cultural knowledge, and a desire to give back to their communities. Scientific/Scholarly Significance. These findings augment evidence from prior studies, as well as from the qualitative component of this study, in support of the potential benefits of ILI schooling.

Authors

• Michael H. Seltzer, University of California - Los Angeles

• Thomas Jacobson, University of California - Los Angeles