The Inspiring Journey of Bilingual Students

One of the most rewarding roles for educators is supporting one or more of the 4.9 million English Learners in US schools on their academic journey (Mitchell, 2020). While they speak more than 400 languages collectively, as of 2018, approximately 80% speak the following three: Spanish (75.2%), Arabic (2.7%), and Chinese (2.0%) (OELA, 2019).

When we refer to students as “English Learners,” however, our frame of reference is what a student lacks rather than what the student brings, essentially placing a spotlight on what is considered their deficits rather than their assets. Words matter. For this reason, a new term is beginning to replace “English Learner” and other previously-used terms—Emergent Bilingual. Much more than a simple change in words, the term Emergent Bilinguals reflects not only a shift in perspective but acknowledges that students who come to school with a home language other than English are Emerging Bilinguals.

And just like all students, those who come to school speaking a language or languages other than English bring language, knowledge, skills, culture, and life experience on which to build. Also like all students, supporting Emergent Bilinguals on their journey requires building on their assets and guiding them to the college or career of their dreams. What is well supported by the research is that the most powerful way to guide Emergent Bilinguals to success is through the development of biliteracy.

Building on Emergent Bilingual students’ assets

Because “biliteracy is an achievement that rests primarily on language processing at all levels, from elemental sounds to the most overarching structures of text” (Castles et al., 2018; Seidenberg, 2017), teaching early literacy skills in the language students already know becomes the foundation on which the second language is built. The home language is, in fact, a significant educational resource for Emergent Bilinguals (Garcia & Kleifgen, 2018).

According to Sparks et al. (2008), whose study examined the ability of first-language (L1) reading and spelling skills to predict later second-language (L2) reading and spelling skills, the best predictor of second-language decoding skill was a measure of first-language decoding. The best predictors of second-language spelling were first-language spelling and first-language phonological awareness. The best predictor of second-language comprehension was a measure of first-language comprehension.

The findings further suggest that even several years after students learn to read and spell their first language, word decoding, spelling, and reading comprehension skills transfer from the first language to the second language. So, research is clear that first-language reading positively affects second-language achievement in reading and spelling.

As for the relationship between first-language and second-language reading comprehension, the findings by Sparks et al. also show that first-language reading comprehension in elementary school from grades 1–5 was a significant predictor of second-language reading comprehension skill several years later in grade 10. They also point to the fact that as learners of English in the US read more difficult texts in their first language, not only do their decoding skills improve, but they enhance their vocabulary as they are exposed to increasingly difficult texts, leading to higher levels of reading and comprehension.

Focusing on Spanish and English biliteracy

For Emergent Bilinguals whose dominant language is Spanish, there is an additional way in which Spanish first-language reading contributes to second-language English reading. This is due to cognates–words in both languages that mean the same thing and are spelled in a similar manner.

For example, adquirir/demostrar and acquire/demonstrate are Spanish-English cognates. Although these examples meet both criteria, adquirir/demostrar are everyday words in Spanish, while acquire/demonstrate are academic words in English, suggesting that Spanish-speaking students may have a “cognate advantage” in comprehending English academic texts (Lubliner & Hiebert, 2011). According to Butvilofsky et al. (2017), it has been well established that bilingual approaches are the most effective approaches to teaching reading to Spanish/English-speaking children.

The research supporting the important contribution that first-language reading makes to reading English is strong. What is even stronger is the generalizable longitudinal research by Collier & Thomas (2017) conducted in 36 school districts in 16 US states, with over 7.5 million student records analyzed, following English learners (of all language backgrounds) in grades K–12.

In fact, in English achievement, Emergent Bilinguals in two-way immersion programs performed at grade level (50th NCE) by grade 5, while those in one-way immersion programs performed at grade level (50th NCE) by grade 7. Continuing the development of first-language literacy significantly influences their high achievement in English compared to students receiving little or no primary language support, as shown in the graphic below (Collier & Thomas, 2004).

The research clearly shows a need to shift the way we think about our Emergent Bilinguals, and the tools and data educators use to serve them. Our mindset should evolve from pointing out gaps in knowledge or skills in English to recognizing and celebrating the knowledge and skills students have in their home language, and the ways these can be used to promote learning.