Abstract

Over 11 million students enter school speaking a language other than English. Due to their emerging English proficiency, many English Learners (ELs) struggle with English literacy, which impacts their overall achievement in school. However, there is evidence that ELs who have solid skills in their native language are able to apply their understanding to their learning in English. Thus, it is critical to understand how Spanish literacy interventions used in schools affect the English literacy outcomes of struggling ELs. The purpose of this study was to determine how a Spanish phonics-based literacy intervention, used during Tier 2 of a multi-tiered system of supports (MTSS), affects ELs’ literacy skills in Spanish and English. Overall, a positive growth trend was noted on all literacy measures in both languages, while statistically significant results were obtained for Spanish and English phonics. Given the positive impact on students’ Spanish and English literacy development, native language instruction and interventions should be provided to struggling ELs. Other implications include the need for teacher preparation in the area of bilingual education as well as the implementation of culturally responsive reading interventions in the students’ native language to assist them in bridging the literacy achievement gap.

摘要

超过 1100 万学生进入学校时说英语以外的语言。由于他们的英语熟练程度不断提高，许多英语学习者 (EL) 在英语读写能力方面存在困难，这会影响他们在学校的整体成绩。然而，有证据表明，在母语方面拥有扎实技能的 EL 能够将他们的理解应用到他们的英语学习中。因此，了解学校中使用的西班牙语读写干预如何影响陷入困境的 EL 的英语读写结果至关重要。本研究的目的是确定在多层支持系统 (MTSS) 的第 2 层期间使用的基于西班牙语语音的识字干预如何影响 EL 的西班牙语和英语识字技能。总体而言，两种语言的所有识字措施都出现了积极的增长趋势，而西班牙语和英语语音学获得了统计学上显着的结果。考虑到对学生的西班牙语和英语读写能力发展的积极影响，应该向陷入困境的 EL 提供母语教学和干预。其他影响包括需要在双语教育领域为教师做好准备，以及在学生的母语中实施具有文化响应性的阅读干预措施，以帮助他们弥合识字成绩差距。