This pilot study is part of a larger multiple-case study design exploring Spanish-speaking middle school immigrant L2 learners’ longitudinal conceptual development of Earth Science concepts at a bilingual program in Albany, NY. Given the cumulative effects of immigrant L2 learners’ achievement lags in science, this project attempts to illuminate the issue in terms of how L1 prior knowledge helps/hampers L2 conceptual development (Kecskes, 2007, 2009). Two distinct sequences of protocols were designed: an enrichment program and a set of assessment measures. The extended cognitive-based Concept Learning Procedure (CLP) program was implemented during twenty lessons to promote the learning of a reduced set of Earth Science target items with varying degrees of complexity (Wellington & Osborne, 2001). Target synonym and polysemic concepts were randomly assigned to two instructional conditions (i.e., embedded vs. extended) to further assess development differences. Several protocols captured the process of conceptual development in two iterations of data collection at pre-test and post-test.  Of particular interest are a property-generation task and a prompt-related semi-structured interview.

 

Pre-test and post-test data were coded and analyzed. Interviews were transcribed verbatim using Conversation Analysis (CA) conventions. Moreover, (non)verbal metasemantic information on each target concept (Silverstein, 2007), such as definitions, illustrations, associations, gestures, and drawings were charted into matrices. Pre- and post-test matrices were contrasted per individual across time and several patterns emerged. These patterns were categorized into four potential trajectories: negative, stagnation, transition, and positive development. These matrices of conceptual development trajectories were compared per target item across participants, as well.

 

Preliminary results from three out of nineteen participants help us conclude that target items demonstrate either transitioning or positive development across participants due to the CLP instructional procedure. In contrast, items in the embedded instructional condition showed no development or stagnation. In addition, L1 prior knowledge and experiences seem to facilitate participants’ conceptual development of the target concepts. Finally, we highlight the most effective cognitive-based activities and we argue that current emphasis on exposure and reading as a concept learning strategy might fall short, as context or embedded instruction might not be sufficient to identify new meanings or to fine-tune incorrect ones. These are important findings with tremendous policy implications, especially considering that projections in the United States for year 2030 estimate about 40% of school-aged children to be English Language Learners (ELL) (Thomas & Collier, 1997, 2002; CREDE, 2003).

 

Keywords: English Language learners (ELLs), 5th grade Earth Science, achievement lags, conceptual development, L2 science teaching intervention, L1 prior knowledge, embedded instruction, extended instruction.

 

 

REFERENCES

 

CREDE, Center for Research on Education, Diversity & Excellence. (2003). A National Study of School Effectiveness for Language Minority Students' Long-Term Academic Achievement. Center for Research on Education, Diversity & Excellence. UC Berkeley: Center for Research on Education, Diversity and Excellence. Retrieved from: http://escholarship.org/uc/item/77g364zj.

Kecskes, I. (2007). Synergic concepts in the bilingual mind. In Kecskes, I. & L. Albertazzi (eds.) Cognitive aspects of bilingualism. Heidelberg/London: Springer, p. 29-63.

Kecskes, Istvan (2009). ‘Dual and multilanguage systems’. International Journal of Multilingualism, p. 1-19.

Silverstein, M. (2007) How Knowledge Begets Communication Begets Knowledge: Textuality and Contextuality in Knowing and Learning. Intercultural Communication Review. Tokyo, Japan. Vol. 5, p. 31-60.

Thomas, W.P. & Collier, V.P. (1997). Our findings: the ‘how long’ research.  Washington, DC. National Clearinghouse for Bilingual Education.

Thomas, W.P. & Collier, V.P. (2002). A National Study of School Effectiveness for Language Minority Students’ Long-Term Academic Achievement. Center for Research on Education, Diversity & Excellence. Retrieved from:

                  http://www.thomasandcollier.com/assets/2002_thomas-and-collier_2002-final-report.pdf

Wellington, J. & Osborne, J. (2001). Language and Literacy in Science Education. Buckingham: Open University Press.