Improving schooling for language-minority children: A research agenda

Bilingual Research Journal, Spring 1997 by Julie Maxwell-Jolly, Patricia Gandara

Another avenue of research focuses on school learning as a social as well as a cognitive process, one which is "influenced by the relationships between student and teacher and among students" (p. 85). The Report notes that research on mainstream populations has focused on social and motivational determinants of school success while research with regard to linguistic minority students has focused on the mismatch between the social rules of the classroom and those of the children's homes. A few of the principal findings are:

Social factors influence the success of second language learning programs. Differences in social settings and population characteristics help explain, for example, "why immersion programs in Canada succeed in teaching French to English-speaking students who continue to maintain full proficiency in English and continue to function at a high academic level, while an immersion program to teach English to Spanish-speaking immigrants in the United States often results in both a shift to monolingualism in English and academic failure" (p. 32)"

In school learning situations students must work out the rules for how to talk in the classroom, and they must use talk in constructing actual content knowledge. Although most of this research has been conducted on mainstream students, the implication is that negotiating this critical process is much more difficult in a second language, and how students resolve these issues is heavily influenced by culture. While achievement motivation is an important factor in helping to explain school success, it does not necessarily explain differences in success among language minority groups or between immigrant and mainstream groups.

Teachers perceive students' academic abilities differently according to the dialects and languages the students speak which in turn influences students' learning opportunities, evaluations of their contributions to the class, and the way they are grouped for instruction.

Students have a greater tendency to make cross-racial friendships after participation in interracial cooperative learning teams. Furthermore, the academic achievement of students of color increases when such learning activities are part of the classroom repertoire. Cooperative learning activities also contribute to students' sense of self esteem, motivation, and empathy.

Classroom use of lessons and materials with a multi-ethnic and racial orientation has a positive effect on students' attitudes toward those from ethnic and racial groups different from their own.

Parents of language minority students engage in a variety of behaviors that foster student learning. However, these behaviors may not be visible to the school and may not meet teachers' notions of desirable parent involvement. Therefore, school personnel may assume that parents are not involved in their children's learning.

STUDENT ASSESSMENT (SECTION 5)

Assessment looms large in the educational lives of linguistic minority pupils. The NRC Report discusses the participation of these students in assessment for the purposes of identifying which children are limited in their English proficiency, determining eligibility for placement in specific language programs (e.g., bilingual education or specially designed academic instruction in English, SDAIE), and monitoring students' readiness for transfer to an education program which does not include primary language assistance or English language development instruction. In addition they note that linguistic minority students may participate in assessments which apply to students generally, including evaluation of need for placement in special programs such as special education, gifted and talented, Title I programs, remedial or advanced course work. Such assessments also monitor ongoing achievement in compliance with school district and/or state requirements and determine students' qualification for high school graduation. In spite of its importance, however, the state of assessment for English language learners is severely underdeveloped.