Students' Attitudinal Development From Grade 1 to 5 in a Two-Way Dual-Immersion Program

• In Event: AERA Roundtable Session 3
  In Roundtable Session: Dual-Language Programs: Identifying implementation Barriers and Addressing Inequities

Abstract

This study compared students’ attitudes in a fifth-grade Spanish two-way dual language immersion (DLI) program with those of the same students when they were in first grade. A set of mainstream English students at the same school provided a comparison group. Findings showed a small number of statistically significant changes in bicultural attitudes after four years, with initial English speakers demonstrating a loss of enthusiasm concerning activities in Spanish to a greater degree than initial English Language Learners. Measures on multicultural variables increased marginally from first to fifth grade, with most growth regarding the importance of knowing a second language for getting along with others. Implications for the development of more equitable spaces for young bilingual children are considered.

Author

• Nicholas C. Block, Biola University