7 research outputs found
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Portrait of early science education in majority dual language learner classrooms: Where do we start?
Despite the growing interest in early science education, there is much left to be explored, particularly in majority Dual Language Learning (DLL) classrooms. The current study examined 1) early science opportunities across classroom contexts in majority Spanish-English DLL Head Start classrooms, 2) the languages (i.e., English and Spanish) that teachers used to engage DLL children in science, 3) and how teachers’ discussion of scientific and engineering practices and disciplinary core ideas related to children’s academic outcomes. In a sample of 411 children (ages 3-5) from 34 Head Start classrooms, the current study found that teachers discussed and encouraged more practices during science lessons than circle time, dramatic play, and story time. There were no differences in teachers’ discussion of core ideas across contexts. Teachers used the same amount of English and Spanish to discuss practices and core ideas. Teaching physical science was associated with children’s science outcomes. Making observations and discussing life science were associated with children’s math outcomes. Teaching math, making observations, and developing and using models were related to children’s executive functioning. Findings from this study demonstrate that science opportunities occur across preschool classroom settings. Additionally, it provides evidence that teachers may be supporting DLL children’s home language while discussing science. Finally, results indicate that teaching science supports children’s academic performance in several outcomes. These findings have implications for DLL education policy as science may be a domain where teachers can support children’s home language and their learning across multiple domains
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Observing Self-Regulation in Context in Head Start Classrooms and Dual Language Learners’ School Readiness
The purpose of this study is to examine the association between the self-regulation skills, classroom context, and academic achievement in a sample of Spanish-English speaking Dual Language Learners (DLLs) from low-income homes. Considering the national focus on improving early education for DLL children enrolled in early childhood programs, it is important to examine the measurement of developmental skills, like self-regulation, that contribute to later success. The current study (1) examined the association between a direct assessment and an ecobehavioral observation of self-regulation skills, (2) examined which contexts of the preschool classroom were associated with children's use of self-regulated behaviors, and (3) investigated the relationship between self-regulation skills and academic achievement. The sample included 341 Spanish-English speaking DLL children from low-income homes. Results indicated that (1) there was no association between the direct assessment and the ecobehavioral observation of self-regulation skills, (2) DLL children display higher self-regulation skills in specific classroom contexts (e.g., small group, play-like instruction, when the teacher is interacting with the child), and (3) directly assessed self-regulation has some positive association with science, math, and language achievement. These findings stress the importance of the classroom contexts for DLL children's behavior and the differences in measurement tools used to assess early self-regulation skills because they have different associations with academic achievement.</p
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Spanish-English dual language learners' bilingual profiles: Executive function and developmental outcomes
The current study took a strengths-based person-centered approach in examining academic and social-emotional outcomes of Spanish-English Dual Language Learning (DLL) children enrolled in Head Start. The study sample includes a total of 392 Hispanic Spanish-English DLLs (49% girls) between the ages of three and five. Latent profile analyses revealed that four groups of differing levels of bilingual proficiency existed (i.e., Emergent Bilingual, English Dominant, Spanish Dominant, and Proficient Bilingual). Overall, groups with higher language proficiency scored higher on executive functioning (EF), academic, and social-emotional outcomes. There were no differences between English and Spanish Dominant children's performance. Academic and social-emotional scores differed by profile through EF.
Findings demonstrate the importance of supporting both languages as proficiency and EF were related and associated with other outcomes. Finally, given the associations found in the current study, EF appears to be a critical skill for young DLL children's academic and social-emotional development
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Executive control in dual language learning preschoolers: The association between Hot and cool executive control and science achievement
•Executive control is two related, but distinct factors for Dual Language Learning (DLL) children•A positive relation exists between Cool Executive Control and science achievement•There is no significant relation between Hot Executive Control and science achievement•Its critical to measure the factors of executive control separately in DLL children
The number of Dual Language Learners (DLLs) in the United States is rapidly increasing, with over 25% of the preschoolers speaking a language other than English at home leading to a need to examine skills that contribute to their achievement. Executive Control (EC), or the ability to regulate attention, affect, and behavior effectively, is one skill that is particularly important for preschool children to develop. EC has been examined for monolingual children as a single construct, and as two related constructs, Cool Executive Control (CEC) and Hot Executive Control (HEC), and is associated with later academic outcomes. The purpose of this study was to extend the EC research to DLL preschoolers, determine if EC is a one or two factor construct in a sample of DLLs, and examine if the construct relates to DLL children’s science achievement. Structural equation modeling was used with a sample of 181 DLL children enrolled in Head Start. In line with previous research on monolingual Head Start children, EC emerged as two distinct latent factors, CEC and HEC. This study also examined the association between concurrent CEC, HEC, and science achievement. CEC was positively associated with DLLs’ science achievement, whereas HEC was not. These findings stress the importance of measuring the two dimensions of DLLs’ EC separately as they differentially relate to science achievement
Impacts on Head Start Dual Language Learning Children’s Early Science Outcomes
The present study examined the roles that language of assessment, language dominance, and teacher language use during instruction play in Dual Language Learner (DLL) science scores. A total of 255 Head Start DLL children were assessed on equated science assessments in English and Spanish. First overall differences between the two languages were examined, then associations between performance on science assessments were compared and related to children’s language dominance, teacher quantity of English and Spanish, and teachers’ academic science language. When examined as a homogeneous group, DLLs did not perform differently on English or Spanish science assessments. However, when examined heterogeneously, Spanish-dominant DLLs performed better on Spanish science assessments. The percentage of English and Spanish used by teachers did not affect children’s science scores. Teachers’ use of Spanish academic science language impacted children’s performance on science assessments, but English did not. The results have implications for the assessment of DLLs and teacher language use during instruction