The Dual Language Program is More Effective than ESL Program - Research Proposal Example

? The Dual Language Program is more effective than ESL Program 7th, May Introduction Although English is an international language, which most countries use, not everyone is proficient in English, and the proficiency levels of people in English vary. Students from non-English speaking countries, who go to study in the USA and other English-speaking countries have to learn to communicate in English for the sake of learning and interaction processes. Therefore, teaching these students English might turn out to be a complicated task, considering that their levels of English proficiency vary. Nonetheless, educators have developed various programs for English language to ensure that foreign students achieve a level of proficiency, which is similar to that of the English-speaking students. There are various types of English language programs for non-English speaking students, and these include the bilingual program, the dual language program, and the ESL program. In this research proposal, the ESL program and the dual language program will be the center of focus. Using different evidence and data, a comparison will be made between the two, to prove that the dual language is more effective than the ESL program. Problem Background The world today is experiencing increased level of globalization, and this comes with increased international conflicts and an integrated global economy. Therefore, learning new languages ought to be compulsory, and be considered an important part of education in the modern world. Additionally, language learning should be emphasized during the period in elementary school, as it is within period that children have a better mind and capability of learning a new language. Some schools have put failed to fully focus on language learning in elementary schools. However, most schools in the U.S.A have realized the importance of language learning, thus a larger number are implementing dual learning in their schools. With this, students are capable of competing with other students, with whom they do not share a native language. It is argued that in the future, more schools in America will adopt dual learning. Nonetheless, with the increased level of globalization, schools need to adopt a language program that allows learners to intensify and diversify their skills in communication, critical thinking, and problem-solving. Therefore, different tests and research ought to be performed on the language learning programs, to determine the most effective one, which if adopted by schools, would result in effective language learning, which is needed in this highly globalized world (Cobb, Vega & Kronauge, n.d). Hypothesis Basing on a review of various literature, one major hypothesis will be used to guide the analysis of data in this proposal. Nonetheless, it is hypothesized that a language learning program relates to the academic performance of a student. Therefore, those students who are enrolled in ESL program are less likely to perform better academically than those who are enrolled in Dual Language program. In essence, therefore this means that compared to ESL, dual language program enables students to have a high capability of performing well academically. Research Question This study will answer the following research questions; How does a language learning program relate to academic performance of a student? What is the most effective language learning program between ESL and the dual language program? Nonetheless, since most studies have shown a relationship between a language learning program and the academic performance of students, it is expected that each language learning program will influence the academic performance of students either negatively or positively. Therefore, in this study, it is expected that students from the ESL and the dual learning programs will register varied performance in a test that will be administered, where one group performs better compared to the other. Additionally, studies have shown that the dual language learning program is more effective than minority language learning programs such as ESL. Therefore, it is expected that results of this study will show that ESL is less effective than the dual language program. This will be done through a test, in which students in the dual language learning program will be expected to perform better than those under the ESL program. Literature Review Different research has pointed to the fact that dual language program is more advantageous than the other language minority programs. Therefore, the benefits of a dual language program supercede those of minority language programs. In this case, therefore, ESL being a minority language program is less beneficial to a child, compared to the dual language program. Nonetheless, most of the benefits of the dual language program are based on the two-way immersion education (Howard & Christian, 2002). The main advantage of the dual language program is that students will be able to develop language proficiency in two languages. This language capability includes both oral proficiency of the language, as well as the writing proficiency of the language. This is important as it helps the students to compare their first language and the second language. This therefore, allows for the analysis and refining of the students’ language use (Cazabon, Lambert, & Heise-Baigorria, 2002). According to Lindholm-Leary (2001), dual language results in a positive academic performance by students. This is because the students who are enrolled in the dual language program will achieve the levels of other students enrolled in other programs, or achieve higher levels than them, with regard to standardized tests of English and math. In addition, these stand to benefit more from their program, since it enables them be able to read and write, and be fluent in two languages, compared to the minority language programs, where students are only taught fluency and proficiency in one language. Research conducted by Thomas & Collier (2002) shows that compared to the minority language programs, such as ESL, the dual language program registered the least number of high school drop-outs. In addition, Lindholm-Leary (2001) found out that most of the students enrolled in the dual language program always look forward to their college education, compared to those students enrolled in the minority language programs, such as ESL. Therefore, this shows that apart from enhancing the academic performance of students, the dual language program also enhances the future academic and career aspects of the students. Another factor that makes dual language program more effective than ESL and other minority language programs is that the students involved in the dual language program develop positive attitudes towards their fellow students, who hail from different cultural and language backgrounds. The dual language program also makes the students to have a positive attitude toward themselves (Cazabon, Lambert, & Heise-Baigorria, 2002). In a research, findings showed that the students enrolled in the dual language program exhibited a higher level of friendliness and diversity toward the friends they chose. Therefore, this shows that the dual language program molded students to be receptive of other students, who are different language speakers. In addition, students enrolled in the dual language program could easily communicate in the second language and interact with other students, who speak the second language (Cazabon, Lambert, & Heise-Baigorria, 2002). Different investigations have been conducted to determine the achievement of students in the dual language program in reading and math tests. These have been conducted in both elementary schools and in high schools (Thomas & Collier, 2002; Howard, Sugarman & Christian, 2003). Results from the different studies pointed out that both the English language learners and the native English speakers enrolled in the dual language program, were both successful in both the languages, and scored above average by the time they reached middle school. Compared to their peers in ESL and other same-language programs, these students stood at a higher level in their academics and were more successful in various educational settings. Additionally, in the standardized math and reading tests given to both groups of students in these researches, the students enrolled in the dual language program scored highly compared to those in the ESL program. Theoretical The dual language program is considered the best for and most successful program of teaching language proficiency, as well as helping different students to perform better in their academics. The world today is highly globalized, therefore, interactions among different ethnic and cultural groups are high, the level of immigration is high, and the level of international trade is also high. Therefore, there are high chances that students enrolled in schools today interact with students from different cultural backgrounds. In addition, these might in future work in a different country, or marry from a different cultural group. Therefore, in order to keep up with the force of globalization and the changes this comes with, it is important that students be exposed to an element of a different ethnic group, including language (Cobb, Vega & Kronauge, n.d). Therefore, the dual language program might be the best language program, compared to ESL and the other minority language programs. Students who are enrolled in the dual language program might exhibit greater confidence than those enrolled in the minority language programs such as ESL. This is because, the dual language program molds students to become prepared to live in a highly global society. The society today, which exhibits a high level of globalization, is more receptive of those individuals who embrace bilingualism and multiculturalism. These two factors can be achieved by enrolling in a dual language program. Nonetheless, communication is an important factor in interactions, therefore, multiculturalism and bilingualism are important for interactions in a highly globalized world. Therefore, by teaching students proficiency in two languages, the dual language program gives children an opportunity to be bicultural, bilingual, and biliterate. Students therefore, achieve a wide vocabulary, a second language, and different perceptions of the world (Cobb, Vega & Kronauge, n.d). Rationale of Study This research is important, since it focuses on the way through which the country could adopt and implement the major effective language learning program. This has been rendered significant by the force of globalization, which has resulted in the integration of majority of economic, political, and social aspects of different countries. Language is the main means of communication. Additionally, economic, political, and social interaction, and any other interaction requires effective communication. Therefore, by determining the most effective learning language, this makes the language learning process in students easy, thus enabling effective communication, which will boost globalization. Methodology i) Introductory line This proposal will employ quantitative data, since the objective data ought to be captured in order to prove the hypothesis in the study. Nonetheless, Dawson (2009) emphasized on the importance of determining the differences between qualitative and quantitative before adopting a research methodology. Quantitative research is an empirical research in which it is possible to quantify the data collected. In this kind of research, the relationship between various variables is examined in the quantitative data. Nonetheless, quantitative data is collected through use of survey research, questionnaires, large-scale observation, and structured interviews, among others (Creswell, 2003). According to Veal & Ticehurst (2005), no method of research can be deemed good or bad, since all research methods are valued according to their appropriateness in a study at hand. The quantitative strategy has been chosen for this study, since it is more concerned with objectivity understanding. ii) Design The design employed in this study will be the experimental design. An experimental design aims at determining whether a specific program or intervention has an expected result on the participants of the program. This will involve a treatment and a control group. In an experimental research design, the treatment group receives the intervention, while the control group does not. There will be two groups in this experimental design (Creswell, 2003). One will include those students under the ESL program, while the second group will include those students under the dual language program. The treatment for the groups will be a math and an ELA New York State Test. Since the hypothesis holds that students under the dual language program are more capable of academic achievement, the treatment given to the two groups of students should produce results, which will support the hypothesis. iii) Inclusion Criteria The students that will be allowed to participate in this study are those that; Are enrolled in either the ESL or dual language learning programs Are capable of reading and writing on their own Students with no disabilities iv) Selection and Sampling The sample will include 100 children in the elementary school, in Grade 3 and Grade 4. Since there will be two groups, each group will comprise 50 children. These children must be aged 8-10 years. Selection will not be gender biased, as both girls and boys will be included. These will be selected regardless of their economic status. Therefore, to avoid any type of bias, there will be a randomized selection of the sample population. v) Instrumentation A research instrument is what the researcher uses in the study to collect the needed information or data. The instrument chosen for use must exhibit high levels of validity and reliability (Veal & Ticehurst, 2005). Therefore, in this study design, the instrument to be used is a test. Thus, the instrumentation is the process of testing. The school children participating in the study will be subjected to tests. The results from these tests will then be used to test the hypothesis. The main tests to be given to the school children include the New York State tests in ELA and math. These are standardized tests, which will apply to all the participating school children, therefore, there will not be any bias in the testing. Students in the third to the 8th grade do English Language Arts (ELA) test in New York State. This language test contains different types of questions. Answers in form of multiple choices are given, basing on short passages. On the other hand, there are open-ended questions for students, based on poems, articles, or stories. Similarly, students in the 3rd to 8th grades also do the Math test. Sometimes this is translated into native languages such as Spanish, Chinese, and Russian, for the English learners. Nonetheless, this test contains a wide variety of math problems, which students should answer (New York State Education Department, 2013). vi) Intervention In this study, the intervention will be the commencement of the tests, including the AEL and math New York State Tests test. Both tests will be administered to both groups of school children. This study will therefore, last for the period until the school children complete and submit the tests. The researchers, together with the aid of the school teachers will supervise or oversee the testing process to ensure there are no irregularities, which might result in bias and lower the validity of results. vii) Data analysis The ANOVA test will be crucial in this research design. In this study, school children were recruited basing on one variable, which was educational. The students in both groups are then measured on the same variable. Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) employed in this study will help prevent Type 1 errors in the obtained results. This will ensure that the Type 1 errors remain at 5%, even when multiple T-tests are used. Additionally, ANOVA will be crucial for determining any differences between the two groups of school children, basing on the variable used in this study. The one-way between groups type of ANOVA will the most appropriate in this study, since the study is mainly interested in the different performance of the two groups (Cardinal & Aitken, 2006). Additionally, the alpha level (0.5) will be used on the study findings. The use of this will help in determining whether the null hypothesis will be rejected or accepted. The alpha level (0.5) will be the most appropriate in order to prevent Type II statistical errors. This level has been proven to be the most effective, since it is a compromise between Type I errors and Type II errors in experimental research. Nonetheless, from the data analysis, it will be possible to reject or accept the null hypothesis in this study (Healey, 2011). Conclusion This research proposal aims at proving whether the dual language program is more effective, compared to the program of ESL. The literature review has provided various data, which show that the dual language program is more effective and advantageous to students, than the ESL and other minority language programs. Nonetheless, these are based on different researches that were conducted in the elementary and high schools in the U.S.A. The instrument in this study is the New York State ELA and Math tests. Results of these tests administered to children enrolled in ESL and the dual language program will show how effective each language program is. Nonetheless, the tools of ANOVA and alpha level (0.5) will be highly utilized, and the latter will determine the validity of the null hypothesis. Nonetheless, this study should be used as a basis for contributing to the decisions regarding which language program should be adopted in schools, based on its effectiveness. References Cardinal, R. N. & Aitken, M. R. (2006). ANOVA for the behavioural sciences researcher. London: Routledge. Creswell (2003). Research Design: Qualitative, Quantitative, and Mixed Methods Approaches. London: SAGE. Cazabon, M., Lambert, W. A., & Heise-Baigorria, C. (2002). Field-initiated bilingual education research project. U.S. Department of Education, Office of Educational Research and Improvement. Cobb, B., Vega, D. & Kronauge, C. (n.d). Effects of an Elementary Dual Language Immersion School Program on Junior High School Achievement. MGRJ Vol.1 (1): 27-47. Dawson, C. (2009). Introduction to research methods: a practical guide for anyone undertaking a research project. New Jersey: How To Books. Healey, J. (2011). Statistics: A Tool for Social Research. London: Cengage Learning. Thomas, W., & Collier, V. (2002). A national study of school effectiveness for language minority students' long-term academic achievement. Santa Cruz, CA, and Washington, DC: Center for Research on Education, Diversity & Excellence. Howard, E. R., & Christian, D. (2002). Two-way immersion 101: Designing and implementing a two-way immersion education program at the elementary level (Educational Practice Report 9). Santa Cruz, CA, and Washington, DC: Center for Research on Education, Diversity & Excellence. Howard, E. R., Sugarman, J., & Christian, D. (2003). Trends in two-way immersion education: A review of the research (Report No. 63). Baltimore, MD: Center for Research on the Education of Students Placed At Risk. Lindholm-Leary, K. J. (2001). Dual language education. Clevedon, England: Multilingual Matters. New York State Education Department (2013). Retrieved from http://www.nysed.gov/ Veal J. A. & Ticehurst, B. (2005). Business Research Methods: A Managerial Approach. New York: Addison-Wesley Longman, Incorporated. Read More