Teachers’ linguistic and emotional supports for Latino students’ language and reading comprehension development

• In Event: 1-132 - Supportive home and classroom contexts as protective factors for Latino children’s academic outcomes

Integrative Statement

Introduction: Students from ethnic-minority and low-income backgrounds, including Latinos, are the majority in U.S. preK-12 classrooms (Krogstad & Lopez, 2014). Latino Dual Language Learners (DLLs; speak a language in addition to English) are also overrepresented in the lower levels of the academic achievement distribution (NCES, 2015). Converging lines of research show a link between children’s academic outcomes (language, reading) and emotional and linguistic supports in their childcare environments, including warm and responsive, high-quality language interactions (Burchinal et al., 2010; Hart & Risely, 1995; NICHD, 2005). Despite the importance of language to reading, especially as children age, little is known about how warm and responsive (emotional) high-quality language interactions (linguistic) promote older learners’ academic success (Dickinson & Porche, 2011; Pianta et al., 2008). Less is known regarding how linguistic and emotional supports serve as protective factors for DLLs at risk for academic difficulties (Gamez & Lesaux, 2015). We examine how linguistic and emotional supports in underserved classrooms influence early-adolescent DLLs’ language and reading skills.

Hypotheses: Bio-ecological models posit that child interactions with the environment drive development (Bronfenbrenner & Morris, 2006). In particular, a child’s social position (ethnicity), and the promoting or inhibiting nature of their classrooms indirectly affects development (Coll & Szalacha, 2005; Garcia et al., 1996). On the basis of theoretical and empirical research, our hypothesis is that classrooms may be experienced as inhibiting if they are plagued by poverty, and yet, simultaneously experienced as promoting if they provide high-quality linguistic and socio-emotional supports for learning.

Study Population: Participants included 258 sixth-grade students (Mage=12.17 years; SD=0.35; male=99; female=159) and their 20 English Language Arts (ELA) teachers (female=17; male=3) in low-income schools (93% of students qualified for free/reduced-lunch). The majority of students (92%) identified as Latino; the remaining as non-Latino. DLLs spoke English and another home language; survey responses indicated home language use as English and Spanish (78%), English-only (6%) or Spanish-only (12%).

Methods: Linguistic and emotional supports were assessed through mid-year ELA class video-recordings (~1hr). Transcripts (CHILDES; MacWhinney, 2010) of teacher-student interactions generated the number of teachers’ sophisticated types (Dale-Chall, 1995); high values indicate greater word diversity and thus, greater linguistic support. The Emotional-Support domain of the Classroom Assessment Scoring Scale (Pianta et al., 2007) measured teachers’ emotional support (1-5 scale); high scores indicate more warmth and responsive behaviors as well as positive regard for student autonomy and opinions. Students’ fall and spring reading comprehension and vocabulary were measured using the Group Reading Assessment and Diagnostic Evaluation (GRADE; Williams, 2001); subtests included 30 and 35 multiple-choice questions, respectively (raw scores).

Results: Table 1 shows wide variability in teachers’ linguistic and emotional supports as well as students’ reading and vocabulary skills. Table 2 shows preliminary multiple-regression results, indicating that after controlling for initial scores and home language, vocabulary was positively associated with linguistic and emotional supports (p<0.05). Reading comprehension was marginally associated with emotional support (p<0.10). Findings suggest that linguistic and emotional supports in underserved classrooms, indeed, continue to serve as protective factors for DLLs’ language-related outcomes in early-adolescence.

Authors

• Perla B. Gámez, Loyola University Chicago
  Presenting Author

• Nonie Lesaux, Harvard Graduate School of Education
  Non-Presenting Author

• Holly Griskell, Loyola University Chicago
  Non-Presenting Author

• Kristia Wantchekon, Harvard University
  Non-Presenting Author