Poster #82 - Reading Ability Across the Elementary Years for Immigrant and Native Students: A Latent Growth Analysis.

• In Event: 1-115 - Poster Session 03
  In Poster Session: PS 03 Section - Education, Schooling

Integrative Statement

Differences in reading achievement have been found between immigrant and native students, with the former group representing about 27 percent of US kindergartners in 2011 (Sullivan et al., 2016). However, less is known about their growth trajectories in reading across the elementary years. Further, differences in reading mastery have been related to family characteristics (e.g., home language), but fewer studies have sought to examine psychological constructs often tied to academic achievement such as academic expectations (e.g., Boonk, et al., 2018) or behavioral engagement (e.g., Fredricks et al., 2004). This study expands previous work by examining reading ability growth trajectories from kindergarten to fifth grade for immigrant and native students and factors associated with differences in these trajectories.

Data for the proposed study are drawn from the ECLS-K:2011, a nationally representative longitudinal study of children who were in kindergarten in the 2010-2011 school year. Information comes from direct assessments of the children and from their parents and teachers. Children’s reading skills and abilities were measured using a two-stage assessment administered one-on-one by trained assessors. Parents reported child’s and parents’ country of origin, and academic expectations for their child while teachers rated students’ behavioral engagement each spring from kindergarten to fifth grade.

Data collected when study children were in fifth grade are expected to be released in the coming months. Consequently, we ran preliminary analyses with available data (kindergarten to fourth grade) using Mplus 8 incorporating the complex design of the study to produce appropriate population estimates and standard errors.

First, we examined mean reading assessment scores by immigrant generational status from kindergarten through fourth grade (see Table 1). Results indicate that second-generation immigrant students’ reading scores are significantly lower than their native peers and the achievement gap persists from kindergarten through fourth grade. Due to the small sample size of first-generation immigrant students (n=180) and that this group’s reading performance is not significantly different from native students, subsequent analyses focus on second-generation immigrant students (n=3,970) and native students (n=9,250).

Next, students’ reading scores were fit to a latent growth model (LGM), which can accommodate predictors of the latent growth factors and provide opportunities to explain differences in trajectories (Hancock & Mueller, 2006). The final model (see Figure 1) had adequate model fit (RMSEA=0.06, CFI=0.95). Results indicate that not only is second-generation immigrant students’ reading achievement significantly lower than their native peers, their reading ability is developing at a slower pace over time. Socioeconomic status is a strong predictor of average reading achievement and growth rate while higher educational expectations are associated with higher reading achievement. At each grade, greater behavioral engagement as reported by teachers is associated with better learning outcomes. These findings suggest the importance of holding high educational expectations for students and developing appropriate classroom behaviors that are conducive to learning. For our final analyses, we will incorporate the fifth-grade data. This research will conclude with recommendations for interventions to facilitate second-generation immigrant students’ reading development.

Authors

• Yuan Zhang, American Institutes for Research
  Presenting Author

• Shannon Russell, American Institutes for Research
  Non-Presenting Author