Dual language profiles of Latino children of immigrants: stability and change over the early school years

• Autores: Brian A. Collins, Erine E. O'Connor, Carola Suárez-Orozco, Alfonso Nieto-Castañón, Claudio O. Toppelberg
• Localización: Applied psycholinguistics, ISSN 0142-7164, Vol. 35, Nº 3, 2014, págs. 581-620
• Idioma: inglés
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• Resumen

  • Dual language children enter school with varying levels of proficiencies in their first and second language. This study of Latino children of immigrants (N = 163) analyzes their dual language profiles at kindergarten and second grade, derived from the direct assessment of Spanish and English proficiencies (Woodcock Language Proficiency Batteries-Revised). Children were grouped based on the similarity of language profiles (competent profiles, such as dual proficient, Spanish proficient, and English proficient; and low-performing profiles, including borderline proficient and limited proficient). At kindergarten, the majority of children (63%) demonstrated a low-performing profile; by second grade, however, the majority of children (64%) had competent profiles. Change and stability of language profiles over time of individual children were then analyzed. Of concern, are children who continued to demonstrate a low-performing, high-risk profile. Factors in the linguistic environments at school and home, as well as other family and child factors associated with dual language profiles and change/stability over time were examined, with a particular focus on the persistently low-performing profile groups.