AN EVALUATION STUDY OF A TRANSITIONAL BILINGUAL EDUCATION PROGRAM (ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT, SPANISH DOMINANT PUPILS; ARIZONA).

Abstract

The focus of this evaluation study was to investigate how and to what extent a transitional bilingual education (TBE) program may have contributed to the students' academic and linguistic development in Spanish and English. Reading and mathematics subtest achievement data were utilized to ascertain educational outcomes for experimental (n = 24) and comparison (n = 118) subjects. Experimental and comparison subjects had participated in a TBE program and a monolingual English program, respectively, between 1980 and 1982, attending first through third grades in four school sites of the Sunnyside Unified School District #12, located in Tucson, Arizona. The data for the study were analyzed using appropriate statistical tests. The following conclusions were based on the findings of this study: (1) Students who participated in TBE projects because they need initial instruction in their native language (Spanish) will perform as well or better, over time, on standardized tests as comparison students matched for socioeconomic status (SES) and ethnicity. (2) Pupils who participate in TBE projects progress, over time, in English reading and mathematics either slightly below, at, or above national norms, suggesting a cumulative effect. The major implications of the study were as follows: (1) Progress in English is not hindered by providing instruction in another language (Spanish). A transfer of skills from L1 (Spanish) to L2 (English) is possible in TBE settings. (2) It cannot be assumed that enrollment in a TBE project precludes maintenance or development of skills in L1 (Spanish). (3) The acquisition of second language (English) skills is associated with the support conditions characteristic of successfully implemented TBE projects.