Project Activities
Structured Abstract
Setting
Sample
Research design and methods
Control condition
Key measures
Data analytic strategy
People and institutions involved
IES program contact(s)
Products and publications
Products: The expected outcomes of this study include two fully developed versions of the content-based vocabulary intervention and published reports describing the relative effects of the two instructional interventions on student outcomes.
Book chapter
Arteagoitia, I., and Howard, E. (2015). The Role of the Native Language in the Literacy Development of Latino Students in the United States. In J. Cenoz, and D. Gorter (Eds.), Multilingual Education: New Perspectives (pp. 61-83). New York: Cambridge University Press.
Journal article, monograph, or newsletter
Green, J.D., Gonzalez, E.M., López-Velásquez, A., and Howard, E.R. (2013). Hands-On Professional Development: Middle School Teachers' Experiences With a Curriculum Intervention Research Project. Middle School Journal, 45(2): 27-32.
Howard, E.R., Green, J.D., and Arteagoitia, I. (2012). Can Yu Rid Guat Ay Rot? A Developmental Investigation of Cross-Linguistic Spelling Errors Among Spanish-English Bilingual Students. Bilingual Research Journal, 35(2): 164-178.
Project website:
Supplemental information
In this study, researchers address this gap by studying the academic vocabulary development of middle school English language learners who are struggling to learn academic English and develop sufficient reading comprehension abilities to be successful in their content area classes. The goals of this project are to: (a) compare two interventions on the development of English (i.e., vocabulary, morphology, spelling, and reading comprehension skills) and science content knowledge in native Spanish speakers in the middle school grades; (b) determine whether the outcomes of these interventions vary as a function of amount of exposure to Spanish at home and/or school, and/or their current levels of English and Spanish oral proficiency and literacy ability; and (c) contribute to the research base on the transfer of skills from Spanish to English.
Purpose: The goals of this project are to: (a) compare two interventions on the development of English (i.e., vocabulary, morphology, spelling, and reading comprehension skills) and science content knowledge in native Spanish speakers in the middle school grades; (b) determine whether the outcomes of these interventions vary as a function of amount of exposure to Spanish at home and/or school, and/or their current levels of English and Spanish oral proficiency and literacy ability; and (c) contribute to the research base on the transfer of skills from Spanish to English.
The two interventions are aimed at developing English language (i.e., vocabulary, morphology, spelling, and reading comprehension skills) and science content knowledge in native Spanish speakers in the middle school grades. Both interventions employ a balanced approach that draws equally upon meaning-making activities and structural analysis in an effort to promote both depth and breadth of vocabulary knowledge. However, one intervention is cross-linguistic and draws explicit connections between English and Spanish at the lexical and morphemic levels, while the other uses English only and does not draw explicit connections across the languages. Both interventions focus on the same target words drawn from the students' science textbook. The cross-linguistic curriculum makes explicit connections to the Spanish equivalents of the target words and their constituent parts, while the monolingual English curriculum does not.
Questions about this project?
To answer additional questions about this project or provide feedback, please contact the program officer.
