The relationship between transitional programs and school achievement of bilingual children - Book Report/Review Example

? The relationship between transitional programs and school achievement of bilingual children Introduction Various researchers have analyzed the effects of bilingual pre-schools on the development of the children’s bilingualism on Spanish and English. A research by Rodriguez, Diaz, Duran and Espinosa (1995) showed that the children who attended bilingual pre-schools had similar Spanish gains to those who did not attend the pre-schools and that the ones who attended bilingual pre schools gained greater benefits than those who did not go to preschool (Dickinson, 2011). A transition program is a scheme that a group of schools agree to follow and apply in help students making a changeover from preschool to secondary school. There is need for additional research on educational practices and curriculum that serves the preschoolers. There is need to test the efficacy and the effectiveness of the curricula offered to the preschoolers (Dickinson, 2011). Effective strategies are required to improve on the children’s language and literature proficiency irrespective of the curriculum used. This can be achieved through identifying the key teaching and facilitating methods on how to do it. It has been evidenced that bilingual preschoolers attain similar English abilities when they attend English engrossment and that the children always loose the home language if it is not supported in their schools. This then results to children, who speak two languages in their early life being at a risk of not being bilingual. This again limits the children from enjoying the advantages and the many benefits of bilingualism. This has been supported by the fact that Spanish supports psychological welfare and aids people to bond with their communities (Krashen, 1997). Bilingualism enhances many knowledge skills. These skills range from increased consciousness of semantic relationships and improved phonological sentience, grammatical rules and structures and more proficiency in academics and improved well being. The transition programs focus on helping the children settle in the school environment before starting the curriculum. This enables the students to familiarize with the environment, the teachers, activities and their peers (Giallo, 2010). When the students take part in these, they have been said to have a greater self confidence, fewer difficulties in their behaviors and improved social skills and academic proficiency and accomplishment (Belsky & MacKinnon, 1994). Up to this point, we can say that the transition programs and the school achievement of bilingual children have a profound relationship. This relationship is bound by the tasks they perform and their aims (Neuman, 2011). Academic proficiency and achievement This is an aim that is seen in both the transition programs and the achievement of bilingual children. Bilingualism has been seen to increase the academic competence of the children who study two different languages. There are models which encourage the preschoolers to study their home language too as they study other languages, these education models promote children’s development in both languages and this promotes academic outcomes (Neuman, 2011). One aim of the transitional programs is to prepare the preschooler students to be able to cope up with the environment of the secondary school. This is through the familiarization of the students to the environment, the tutors and their peers before they can start their learning. This again is evident from the achievement of the bilingual children. A research has been reviewed which has several implications for professionals and the tutors who work with the young bilingual children (Kagan & Rigby 2003). In bilingual children, the educators have to learn understand the exposure of the children to their home language and English at the school year start. The bilingualism in the children then differs in regard to when the child was exposed to English or Spanish prior to school. This thus means that an early exposure will lead to a higher level of bilingualism among the children (Neuman, 2011). Many preschoolers enter preschools with poor abilities in Spanish and English below the monolingual peers, and later with time after making advances they catch up with the monolingual students. This means that they just needed time to be able to catch up with the rest. This also means the achievement of the bilingual students will help mould prepare the students and improves on their academic competence. In bilingualism, there is consistent supervision of the child’s language abilities which is needed to ensure that the children’s ability is increasing (Anderson, 2010). The transitional programs also aid in academic competence and achievement. This is shown by providing a ground where the student familiarizes with himself/ herself with the tutors, the learning environment together with their peers (Kagan & Rigby, 2003). This allows a relaxed mind and one is able to know how to well adapt to the factors which will bring self wellbeing and thus high academic proficiency. These transitional programs allow the preschoolers to adapt well and this will lead to the high academic excellence (Giallo, 2010). This academic excellence and achievement can be greatly achieved again through the adherence to the transitional programs that will be set or that are set by the different institutions. This will enable the students adapt to that environment both academically and help build him or her socially (Giallo, et al, 2010). Improved well being Bilingualism has been said to improve the well being of the student. This is due to the investigation that was done by Barnett and colleagues (2008) where they studied the effect of tools of the mind on the preschools children’s language, literacy and self regulation. This tool of the mind curriculum is designed to promote development of self regulation and language which also aids the child in reading, carrying out arithmetic and his/her socio-emotional development (Neuman, 2011). This investigation involved different students who were assigned to tools of mind classroom where they all received balanced literacy directions. Almost all children were Hispanic, 93% with 69% from Spanish speaking homes and these children from the Spanish speaking homes assessed in Spanish. The children who showed a high understanding of both languages showed a higher self regulation than the children who had known only one language (Neuman, 2011). Fewer Behavioral Difficulties Children always seem to do better when they take part in quite a higher number of activities than taking part in a single activity (Margetts, 2002). Most transition programs create a given degree of continuity between preschool and school activities, increasing effectiveness and help the children device strategies which involve formal academic skills and survival skills to adapt to the school. These skills which will enable the students adapt include the ability to work on their own and to respond to the different behavioral anticipations, dealing with the length of the learning hours and to interact with others (Margetts, 2002). The bilingual students don’t experience any behavioral difficulties. This is because it improves the wellbeing of the students. This is evidenced by the study that was carried out by Barnett and colleagues (2008) which showed the effects of bilingualism on the personal well being (Neuman & Dickinson, 2011). Student Participation Many bilingual education researchers are concerned about the participation and achievement of the minor language students in schools. This provides a barrier to participation and development of these minority speaking students. There are education models that seem to limit the minority students’ opportunities to participate (Moses, 2000). Change from Early learning environments to primary school Most children start primary school at a very young age e.g. Australian children start between the ages of four and five. These children will have a higher adaptability compared to others who will join the primary school at an older age (Brisk, 1999). This makes the Australian children to be vulnerable to some various areas which include physical health and well being, social competence, communication skills and general knowledge. (Giallo, 2010) These early learning environments have provided the children with exposure to some of the challenges that one may face when changing from one level to another (Margetts, 2002). These adaptations to the difficulties allow a student to understand the different languages e.g. English and Spanish and with time one can be able to perfect on both languages. Both bilingualism and the transitional programs will aid the student in attaining this adaptability. The children can be encouraged to join the preschools at early age to be greatly conversant with the learning environments (Moses, 2000). Achievement in a second language The academic proficiency of the limited English proficient students is always a major national worry. The learning students should be able to use English as a tool for studying subject matter (Chamot, 1987). Sometimes, when students visit other countries like the United States, they always gain communicative competence and are quickly absorbed into the regular classroom. However, these students experience dilemmas in understanding and completing their school work in the more cognitively-demanding language that is needed for excellence in the academic subjects. The language minority students lack exposure to the vocabulary and the context specific language that is required to execute the more requiring tasks needed in the academic classes (Calderon, Slavin & Sanchez, 2011)). There is a great difference between a language that is required for achievement in school and the one that is needed for communication. Context-implanted language provides some non-linguistic support which adds more value to the understanding of the other various courses. This can only happen if there is a transition program where these visiting students can be slowly adapted to the linguistic and academic environment of USA where they can understand the context language requirements (Sylva, et al, 2004). Conclusion In children’s life, the transitions from home to early childhood education are of great importance and significance. Sometimes these transitions may be a challenge to those financially unstable families. These transitions have been seen to truly aid a child in coping with the environment and their peers and are always a difficult thing for those who do not attend early childhood education and care. The development of some of the children’s traits and features in adjustment to school depends upon the environment. These transitions will help a student become school ready. As seen earlier, bilingualism in the preschools will aid the student gain a better understanding of the two languages though it may be a challenge where the home language is not taught. Many students have been seen to lack proficiency in their home language. This proficiency in their home language determines how one will grasp the other language i.e. English as seen with the Spanish speaking students. There are differences in the bilingual children’s development in regard to when the child was exposed to the language. A child exposed to a language at an early age will get to understand the language better than the one who has not. References Anderson, R. (2004). First Language Loss in Spanish-speaking Children: Paterns of loss and implications for clinical practice, In B. Goldstein (Ed.) Bilingual language development and disorders in Spanish English speakers (pp. 163-186), Baltimore: Brookers. Anderson, R.M. 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(2003). Improving the readiness of children for school: Recommendations for state policy (Policy Matters Project). Washington, DC: Centre for the Study of Social Policy. Krashen,S. (1997). Why bilingual education? Charleston, WV: ERIC Clearinghouse on Rural Education and Small Schools. Retrieved from http://www.ericdigests.org/1997- 3/bilingual.html Margetts, K. (2002), Transition to school – Complexity and diversity. European Early Childhood Education Research Journal, 10(2), 103–114 Moses, Michele. (2000). Why bilingual education is needed: A philosophical response to the critics. Bilingual Research Journal, 24 (4), 333-54.   Neuman B. S., Dickinson K. D. (2011). Handbook of Early Literacy Research. Guilford Press, vol.3. Sylva, M, E., Sammons, P., Siraj-Blatchford, I. & Taggart, B. (2004). The Effective Provision of Pre- School Education [EPPE] Project: Final report. London, UK: Institute of Education, University of London. Read More