{"id":2775,"date":"2025-01-27T13:48:30","date_gmt":"2025-01-27T18:48:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.golive.clarku.edu\/?p=2775"},"modified":"2025-04-18T13:54:16","modified_gmt":"2025-04-18T17:54:16","slug":"the-languages-of-learning","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.clarku.edu\/research-highlights\/the-languages-of-learning\/","title":{"rendered":"The language(s) of learning"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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English language learners (ELLs) comprise over 10 percent of the nation\u2019s public schoolchildren, traditionally receiving in- or out-of-classroom support in English-only schools. A smaller but growing percentage attend bilingual schools, alternately learning in English and their native language \u2014 most commonly Spanish in the United States. As part of a first-of-its-kind longitudinal study funded by the National Science Foundation, Psychology Professor Alena Esposito seeks to answer: Which practices work best for bilingual schoolchildren?<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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\"Psychology<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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Does using two or more languages help schoolchildren learn?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe tend to see two recommendations in public schools: Either you\u2019re completely separating the languages or you\u2019re using all the languages available for the student,\u201d says Esposito<\/a>, a developmental psychologist, expert on bilingual education, and former kindergarten teacher. \u201cNeither recommendation has empirical support beyond a few case studies.\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Historical guidelines for bilingual education in the U.S. are based on English\/French dual-language programs in Qu\u00e9bec. \u201cOur population of students in bilingual education in the U.S. is very different from the students they are typically teaching,\u201d Esposito notes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the NSF study, Esposito and her colleagues at North Carolina State University, Greensboro, and the University of Massachusetts-Lowell, are examining\u2014and more importantly, measuring\u2014which language practices are associated with the best student outcomes in racially, ethnically, and linguistically diverse bilingual schools in the U.S.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The researchers especially want to know the effectiveness of teachers adopting flexible \u201ctrans-languaging or bridging\u201d practices, where they might use two or more languages \u201cto help make sure that the content is understood by students,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The five-year study focuses on cohorts of \u201cemerging bilinguals\u201d or \u201cemerging multilinguals\u201d from kindergarten through fourth grade. Their schools include both bilingual education and \u201csheltered English immersion\u201d (SEI) programs\u2014where ELL instruction is offered to students in a classroom (\u201cpull in\u201d support) or students receive ELL support outside of class (\u201cpull out\u201d).<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Department of PSYCHOLOGY<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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