ERIC Number: EJ1152151
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2017
Pages: 16
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1523-5882
EISSN: N/A
The Bilingual Reading Practices and Performance of Two Hispanic First Graders
López-Velásquez, Angela M.; García, Georgia Earnest
Bilingual Research Journal, v40 n3 p246-261 2017
This qualitative study used a sociocultural lens to examine how two bilingual Hispanic first-grade girls demonstrated bilingual reading practices (i.e., heteroglossia and translanguaging) as they discussed and read texts in Spanish and English. One girl predominantly received school reading instruction in Spanish, while the other received school reading instruction in English. They both participated in Spanish reading at home. The school reading instruction employed Spanish or English versions of Success for All, and emphasized word recognition strategies appropriate for the language of instruction along with meaning-making strategies. In April, the two girls scored mid- to end-of first grade on a curriculum-based reading assessment in the language of instruction. Neither of them received biliteracy instruction. Their reading levels in the instructional language and exposure to the other language appeared to be sufficient for them to develop and demonstrate heteroglossic practices. Bilingual dynamic reading assessments and home reading sessions with a bilingual researcher revealed that both girls utilized bilingual reading practices to discuss and comprehend texts in their non-instructional or alternate language. One of the girls also used bilingual reading practices to discuss texts in the instructional language. To read in the alternate language, they both employed word-recognition and meaning-making strategies, which had been emphasized in their school reading instruction. However, one girl's attempt to use a decoding strategy she had learned in English (i.e., onset-rime) to decode unfamiliar Spanish words did not work effectively. Implications are delineated for the bilingual reading instruction and assessment of young bilingual children.
Descriptors: Elementary School Students, Bilingual Students, Bilingual Education, Grade 1, Females, Hispanic American Students, Reading Skills, Reading Instruction, Qualitative Research, Language Usage, Code Switching (Language), Spanish, English, Language of Instruction, Word Recognition, Reading Strategies, Reading Tests, Outcomes of Education, Reading Achievement, Constructivism (Learning), Semi Structured Interviews
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Elementary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A