The Most Urgent Research Questions and Issues In Dual Language Education

 

Nearly 40 dual language education researchers from around the United States met in Santa Fe, NM on November 11-12, 2008, to define the most urgent research questions and issues in dual language education.

 

The group articulated that dual language enrichment programs exist for students of all language backgrounds, not only or primarily for English Language Learners. These programs need to focus not simply on language proficiency but also on appropriate educational and social justice opportunities for all students. The group also recognized the need for advocacy and research for programs from early childhood through high school and on to post-secondary and graduate levels. Dual language teachers & administrators and the academic programs that prepare them constitute a high priority requiring particular attention.

 

Convocation participants recognized the need for a stronger community of dual language education researchers and a more elaborate infrastructure for dual language research. They suggested that the community be strengthened by more collaboration between researchers and practitioners, more interdisciplinary collaboration among researchers, and more opportunities for researchers to come together to share findings and ideas, such as through this convocation. In order to move the research agenda forward, it is necessary to have agreement on essential terminology, and in particular, common definitions for widely used constructs (e.g. the designation of English Language Learner). In addition, it would be useful to develop stronger theoretical frameworks, conduct additional literature reviews and meta-analyses, identify more funding and funding sources for dual language research, and recruit and prepare more dual language researchers.

 

Participants developed and began to prioritize research topics and questions in six broad areas during breakout working groups. Clarification and prioritization of these will continue in the coming months. The table below provides some examples of topics and questions from each area.

 

Research Area

Example topics and questions

Biliteracy Development

What is the long-term effect of simultaneous versus sequential biliteracy development on levels of biliteracy achievement across the curriculum from pre-K through grade 12?

Political Climate

What national, state, and local language and education policies are effectively shaping dual language education at all levels in the United States and around the world?

The Cross-Cultural Goal

What is cross-cultural competence (knowledge of culture, attitudes, identity), how do we measure it, and how do we integrate this competence in the curriculum?

Peer Interaction

How does peer interaction differ among various groups (ethnicity, language background, socio-economic status, gender, etc.), across different configurations (first language, second language, integrated groups), and different contexts (elementary, middle school, high school, cafeteria, playground, classroom, instructional)?

Special Needs Students in Dual Language

How well do assessments and interventions meet the language and learning needs of various sub-groups of dual language students, and how may they need to vary across program models?

Program Demographics

What is the impact of demographic changes on the design and implementation of the dual language models and how do programs adjust to the changes to optimize the attainment of program goals for each and every student?

 

A complete report of the convocation is expected to be released in February, 2009. For updates, check the National Dual Language Consortium website (www.dual-language.org).

 

The event was sponsored by the following organizations (in alphabetical order):

 

Contact:

Jay Parkes, Ph.D.

Associate Professor of Educational Psychology

120 Simpson Hall

MSC05 3040

1 University of New Mexico

Albuquerque, NM 87131-1246

Phone: (505) 277-3320

Fax: (505) 277-8361

e-mail: parkes@unm.edu