A QUANTITATIVE ANALYSIS OF LATINX ENGLISH LEARNER READING AND MATHEMATICS ACHIEVEMENT IN A DUAL LANGUAGE IMMERSION PROGRAM IN THE NEW LATINX DIASPORA

Abstract

Research indicates that dual language immersion programs support English learners to achieve high results in core academic areas. Current research related to dual language immersion has been conducted in parts of the United States that are traditional Latinx Diaspora areas. The influx of English learners in schools has changed demographics drastically, which directly impacts student learning and schools’ abilities to meet all students’ instructional needs, especially related to English acquisition. The purpose of this research was to determine if English learners enrolled in dual language immersion programs have significantly different achievement results than their peers in traditional education settings in the New Latinx Diaspora. Student assessment data were collected from end-of-year assessments within a large urban school district in the southeastern part of the United States. This school offered dual language immersion and traditional education programs to English learners. A two-way multivariate of analysis (MANOVA) was used to determine if there was an interaction effect between grade level and program. Then multiple one-way MANOVAs were used to determine if there were differences by grade level of program. The results of this study showed that there was no difference in student achievement for English learners in the dual language immersion (DLI) program or the traditional program. The results also showed that first grade scores were significantly higher than other grade levels in reading and mathematics. Finally, although there was no significant difference, the data show that English learners in the DLI program achieved similar mean scores to English learners in the traditional program. The results of this study do not align with prior research as many students in DLI programs achieve higher than their traditional program peers in the upper grades. The implications of this research include further analysis through case studies for school and district level administrators. There were potential benefits of bilingual education provided to Latinx English Learners in this study that can be explored since both group of students performed similarly. Program goals should be analyzed to further understand the student outcomes. Potential factors that could have impacted student scores include the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic school closures, teacher experience, and student English language proficiency levels. Future research for this study should include an analysis of program implementation to determine factors that impact Latinx English learner student achievement in dual language programs. Schools in the New Latinx Diaspora are very new to dual language immersion. Additional analysis of bilingual proficiency should also be considered when analyzing student data for academic instructional gains. A case study analysis would further the research that can include cross functional action teams with insight from local and district level leaders, teachers, and other school staff. This future research can support district level planning for DLI expansion and reevaluation of DLI program implementation to support Latinx English learners.