Poster #9 - Examining Reading Growth Profiles across Children of Different Language Backgrounds Using Multilevel Growth Mixture Modeling

• In Event: 2-001 - Poster Session 1 during Breakfast

Abstract

The present study aimed at increasing our understanding of how school resources are structured for language minority children, as well as distilling the linkages among family socioeconomic status and its impact on home literacy practices and literacy achievement using a national longitudinal dataset, ECLS-K. A recent critique has emerged regarding whether different home language use represents a deficit that needs remediation in learning English or a potential advantage that immigrant children bring to school in acquiring English proficiency. Furthermore, school-labeled linguistic status of immigrant children (ELs versus non-ELs) has been found to have a negative association with English acquisition. A key to understanding issues relating to immigrant children’s reading development entails further research on disentangling the effects of language minority status, school-based linguistic status and socioeconomic status, as each creates a social category with demonstrated consequences. Extant research on literacy development has primarily been conducted for English monolinguals using cross-sectional designs, largely due to the unavailability of longitudinal data with heterogeneous samples. ECLS-K provides a wealth of information including home language use, English proficiency, family characteristics, and types of language services received at school; hence, it is well suited to studying language minority children’s reading trajectories relative to English monolinguals. Specifically, we hypothesize that reading trajectories for language minority children will converge with English monolinguals and family SES operates differentially across the language profile groups. Using Growth Mixture Modeling analysis, we identified two primary growth periods for English monolinguals, English dominant bilinguals, English mixed bilinguals, and Limited English speakers. First, children speaking little English were found to lag considerably behind their monolingual peers but were able to close gaps considerably by grade 3 (see Fig. 1). Second, home literacy practices positively affected children’s growth rates and reduced low-SES effects for limited English speakers. Third, we found effects of ESL/bilingual programs (i.e., time allocated, in-class and pullout programs, classroom aides) were mixed across the language background groups (e.g., Fig 2). Finally, school composition, such as concentrations of minority and ESL students, and school processes relating to instructional improvement, affected language minority children’s reading growth more than their English monolingual peers. Our results imply that speaking a different language does not preempt language minority students’ reading achievement per se, and their reading growth parallels that of their English monolingual peers. Further, targeted school resources can enhance the literacy progress of subgroups of language minority children most in need of support.

Author

• Tingting Reid, University of Hawaii at Manoa
  Presenting Author