Vocabulary Skills of Spanish-English Speaking Elementary Students: A Pilot Study

2015 ◽  
Vol 22 (3) ◽  
pp. 102-111
Author(s):  
Alejandro Brice ◽  
Cynthia Leung ◽  
Brenda K. Gorman
Keyword(s):  
Academic Success ◽  
English Language ◽  
Language Skills ◽  
Census Bureau ◽  
Bilingual Students ◽  
Academic English ◽  
Expressive Vocabulary ◽  
Vocabulary Skills ◽  
English Speaking ◽  
5Th Grade

Introduction Bilingualism is the norm worldwide. Despite the fact that nearly one in five individuals (17.9%; U.S. Census Bureau, 2007) speaks another language other than English in the home, knowledge regarding the nature of bilingualism and school performance, particularly vocabulary skills in bilingual children, is still needed. Purpose This study investigated vocabulary skills of bilingual, Spanish-English speaking students enrolled in 3rd, 4th, and 5th grades. Methods Fifteen Spanish-English speaking students were administered English and Spanish receptive and expressive vocabulary measures. Total conceptual vocabulary scores were also obtained for both the English and Spanish measures. Results Results indicated significant differences for 3rd and 5th grade groups on the Spanish expressive vocabulary measure and also on the expressive total conceptual vocabulary measure. Conclusions The bilingual students, although the majority had been mainstreamed and exited from ESOL classes and services, appeared to be still acquiring English vocabulary skills and may have not attained complete cognitive academic English language proficiencies. Therefore, it is possible that incomplete vocabulary skills may affect overall academic language skills and overall academic performance. Speech-language pathologists (SLPs) must strive to maintain native language skills that facilitate reading comprehension and English academic success.

scholarly journals Do Enclaves Matter in Immigrant Adjustment?

2019 ◽  
pp. 323-360
Author(s):  
George J. Borjas ◽  
Barry R. Chiswick ◽  
George J. Borjas ◽  
Barry R. Chiswick ◽  
George J. Borjas ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Adverse Effects ◽  
Language Proficiency ◽  
Adult Male ◽  
English Language ◽  
Language Skills ◽  
English Language Proficiency ◽  
Ethnic Concentration ◽  
English Speaking ◽  
English Language Skills

This chapter is concerned with the determinants and consequences of immigrant/linguistic concentrations (enclaves). The reasons for the formation of these concentrations are discussed. Hypotheses are developed regarding “ethnic goods” and the effect of concentrations on the immigrant's language skills, as well as the effects on immigrant earnings of destination language skills and the linguistic concentration. These hypotheses are tested using PUMS data from the 1990 U.S. Census on adult male immigrants from non-English-speaking countries. Linguistic concentrations reduce the immigrant’s own English language skills. Moreover, immigrants’ earnings are lower the lower their English language proficiency and the greater the linguistic/ethnic concentration in their origin language of the area in which they live. The adverse effects on earnings of poor destination language skills and of immigrant concentrations exist independently of each other. The hypotheses regarding ethnic goods are supported by the data.

scholarly journals Outside the Classroom

2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (4) ◽  
pp. 934-953
Author(s):  
Catherine Gomes
Keyword(s):  
International Students ◽  
English Language ◽  
Language Skills ◽  
Linguistically Diverse ◽  
Interview Data ◽  
Mental Wellbeing ◽  
Culturally And Linguistically Diverse ◽  
Asian Descent ◽  
English Speaking ◽  
Australian City

International students from culturally and linguistically diverse countries travel to Australia because of the opportunity to study courses in the English language with some coming to this country just to study the language itself. Such desires moreover create students to engage in creative strategies to improve their language skills. This paper, however, suggests that the desire to be skilled in English through immersion in an English-speaking country like Australia creates challenges to the mental wellbeing of international students. Reporting on interview data with 47 international students of Asian descent in the Australian city of Melbourne, this paper reveals these challenges to include lived and perceived notions of self and belonging, as well as loneliness.

scholarly journals English for Specific Purposes: Designing an EAP Course for Computer Science Students

2018 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
pp. 156
Author(s):  
Isra Irshad ◽  
Behzad Anwar
Keyword(s):  
Computer Science ◽  
English Language ◽  
Language Skills ◽  
English For Academic Purposes ◽  
Faculty Members ◽  
English For Specific Purposes ◽  
Academic English ◽  
Science Students ◽  
Academic Context ◽  
Language Needs

<p><em>The aim of this study was to design English for Academic Purposes (EAP) course for University students enrolled in the Computer Science Department. For this purpose, academic English language needs of the students were analyzed by using a 5 point Likert scale questionnaire. Additionally, interviews were also conducted with four faculty members of the department and the data were analyzed qualitatively. Thus, mixed methods were used for collection and analyses of data. The results of the analysis of questionnaire and interviews indicate that the four language skills, namely listening, speaking, reading and writing are frequently used in students’ academic context and among the four, speaking is the most frequently used skill. Students are deficient in writing and speaking skills as compared to listening and reading; therefore, speaking and writing should be given preference while designing the syllabus.</em></p>

scholarly journals The Arts, the Common Core, and English Language Development in the Primary Grades

2017 ◽  
Vol 119 (8) ◽  
pp. 1-38
Author(s):  
Christa Mulker Greenfader ◽  
Liane Brouillette
Keyword(s):  
Language Development ◽  
Oral Language ◽  
English Learners ◽  
English Language ◽  
Language Skills ◽  
Research Question ◽  
Development Program ◽  
English Language Development ◽  
Oral Language Skills ◽  
English Speaking

Background/Context Throughout schooling, English learners (ELs) perform well below their monolingual English-speaking peers on literacy assessments, and Hispanics make up the majority of EL students in the United States. There is a strong consensus about the importance of early English oral language skills for ELs’ literacy development, yet teachers are not adequately prepared to meet the needs of these young learners. Historically, policy has not provided incentives for educators to focus on oral language development in the classroom. However, the recently adopted Common Core State Standards (CCSS) emphasize oral language skills. Purpose/Objective This study examines a professional development program that equipped early elementary teachers in five urban schools with arts-based strategies to promote the oral English development of ELs. A second line of inquiry looked at the extent to which the creative drama and dance activities were aligned with CCSS. Participants There were 3,792 K–2 Hispanic ELs (treatment: N = 497; control: N = 3,295) from Title I schools in a large school district in California. Intervention The Teaching Artist Project (TAP) was a two-year K–2 arts and literacy professional development program consisting of 28 weekly 50-minute lessons (14 theater and 14 dance). The project provided classroom teachers with in-service training on utilizing movement, gesture, and expression to promote stimulating English verbal interactions. TAP was specifically intended to engage non-native English speakers in classroom dialogues, facilitating their oral English development. Research Design This study utilized a mixed methods design. To address the first research question, schools were randomly assigned to treatment and control groups. Multiple regressions were run on data from the California English Language Development Test (CELDT) to investigate the impact of the program on the English speaking abilities of K–2 Hispanic English learners. To address the second research question, document review was used to compare the K–2 CCSS speaking and listening standards and the TAP lesson plans. Findings The treatment group was found to significantly outperform the control group (β = 0.13; p < 0.05) on CELDT speaking scores. Additional review suggested that the performing arts activities corresponded well to the CCSS speaking and listening standards. Conclusions/Recommendations Creative drama and dance activities provide rich verbal classroom interactions, boost English oral language skills of ELs, and align with the CCSS. Yet concerns are raised about the lack of speaking assessments on tests created by the Smarter Balanced and PARCC consortiums and the potential subsequent distortion of K–2 instruction.

scholarly journals The Language Ability of U.S. Immigrants: Assimilation and Cohort Effects

2000 ◽  
Vol 34 (1) ◽  
pp. 158-182 ◽  
Author(s):  
Geoffrey Carliner
Keyword(s):  
English Language ◽  
Language Skills ◽  
Geographic Distance ◽  
Region Of Origin ◽  
Linguistic Distance ◽  
Spoken English ◽  
Percentage Points ◽  
English Speaking ◽  
Per Capita ◽  
Source Countries

This article uses data from the 1980 and 1990 U.S. Censuses of Population to examine the English language skills of natives and immigrants. It finds that lack of fluency in spoken English is rare among native-born Americans, including among the teenage and adult children of recently arrived ethnic groups. The vast majority of immigrants also speak English well. However, since the 1950s fluency among new immigrants has declined by 0.3 percentage point per year, because of the shift in source countries from English speaking countries and from continental Europe to Latin America and East Asia. Each additional year of U.S. residence increases the probability of fluency by 1.1 percentage points for immigrants from non-English speaking countries. An additional year of schooling increases fluency by 5 percentage points. Overall, women are slightly more likely to be fluent than men. The large differences in English skills by region of origin seem to be more associated with geographic distance from the U.S. than with the source country's per capita income or linguistic distance from English.

The Effects of Dual-Language Support on the Language Skills of Bilingual Children With Hearing Loss Who Use Listening Devices Relative to Their Monolingual Peers

2013 ◽  
Vol 44 (3) ◽  
pp. 281-290 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ferenc Bunta ◽  
Michael Douglas
Keyword(s):  
Hearing Loss ◽  
Hearing Aids ◽  
English Language ◽  
Language Skills ◽  
Bilingual Children ◽  
Auditory Comprehension ◽  
Preschool Language ◽  
English Speaking ◽  
Children With Hearing Loss ◽  
English Language Skills

PurposeThe present study investigated the effects of supporting both English and Spanish on language outcomes in bilingual children with hearing loss (HL) who used listening devices (cochlear implants and hearing aids). The English language skills of bilingual children with HL were compared to those of their monolingual English-speaking peers' with HL. The Spanish and English language skills of the bilingual participants were also compared.MethodThe language skills of 40 children with HL (20 bilingual Spanish–English-speaking and 20 monolingual English-speaking) were examined using the Auditory Comprehension, Expressive Communication, and total language scores from the Preschool Language Scale, Fourth Edition (Zimmerman, Steiner, & Pond, 2002a, 2002b).ResultsThe English language skills of the bilingual participants were commensurate with those of their monolingual English-speaking peers on all 3 measures. The Spanish and English total language scores of the bilingual group were also comparable and highly correlated.ConclusionBoth languages of bilingual children with HL can be supported without having adverse effects on the children's language development. Moreover, supporting both languages in bilingual children with HL may have multifarious positive ramifications.

The effects of dialogic reading on the expressive vocabulary of pre-school aged children with moderate to severely impaired expressive language skills

2021 ◽  
pp. 026565902110194
Author(s):  
Wanda R Ramsey ◽  
Kristen Bellom-Rohrbacher ◽  
Terry Saenz
Keyword(s):  
Language Skills ◽  
Single Case ◽  
Word List ◽  
Dialogic Reading ◽  
Expressive Vocabulary ◽  
Near Transfer ◽  
School Aged Children ◽  
Positive Effects ◽  
Vocabulary Skills ◽  
Vocabulary Word

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of dialogic reading on the expressive vocabulary skills of children with moderate to severe expressive impairments. Previous research has shown positive effects of dialogic reading on the language skills of children who are typically developing and on children who are at-risk for language delays. However, there is limited research indicating the effectiveness of dialogic reading on children with moderate to severely delayed language skills. The participants in this single-case, multiple baseline across participants designed study received four weeks of individual dialogic reading intervention which was intended to increase their expressive vocabulary skills of a near-transfer vocabulary word list. The results revealed that all three participants demonstrated a significant increase in expressive vocabulary of the near-transfer vocabulary list.

The Lingua Franca Mandate

2019 ◽  
pp. 13-26
Author(s):  
Tsedal Neeley
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
English Language ◽  
Language Skills ◽  
The United States ◽  
Work Process ◽  
Marketing Manager ◽  
Work Requirements ◽  
Daily Work ◽  
The Core ◽  
English Speaking

This chapter sets the stage with the dramatic announcement by Hiroshi Mikitani, CEO of Rakuten, informing his 10,000 employees, of which over 7,100 are Japanese nationals, that from that day forward they would need to speak English in the workplace. In two years, they would be required to clear a proficiency test or risk demotion. This chapter introduces three employees who represent the categories that make up the core of the book. The first is Kenji, a Japanese engineer gripped by shock and fear that his years of hard work with the company will count for naught, who then receives the technical and emotional support to practice new English language skills. Next is Robert, a native English-speaking marketing manager from the United States, thrilled that the company is switching to his native language and who anticipates an easy career advance only to have his sense of privilege curtailed by new, daily work requirements, followed by a trip to Japan where his cultural blinders begin to loosen. Finally, there is the German IT technician, Inga, who is pleased by the announcement, who hopes it will streamline her work process—and learns that it does once she climbs the steep and often frustrating learning curve.

scholarly journals Do Enclaves Matter in Immigrant Adjustment?

2005 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
pp. 5-35 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chiswick Barry R. ◽  
Paul W. Miller
Keyword(s):  
Adverse Effects ◽  
Language Proficiency ◽  
Adult Male ◽  
English Language ◽  
Language Skills ◽  
English Language Proficiency ◽  
Ethnic Concentration ◽  
English Speaking ◽  
English Language Skills

This paper is concerned with the determinants and consequences of immigrant/linguistic concentrations (enclaves). The reasons for the formation of these concentrations are discussed. Hypotheses are developed regarding “ethnic goods” and the effect of concentrations on the immigrant's language skills, as well as the effects on immigrant earnings of destination language skills and the linguistic concentration. These hypotheses are tested using PUMS data from the 1990 U.S. Census on adult male immigrants from non‐English speaking countries. Linguistic concentrations reduce the immigrant's own English language skills. Moreover, immigrant's earnings are lower the lower their English‐language proficiency and the greater the linguistic/ethnic concentration in their origin language of the area in which they live. The adverse effects on earnings of poor destination language skills and of immigrant concentrations exist independently of each other. The hypotheses regarding ethnic goods are supported by the data.

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