Sixth International Conference on Immersion and Dual Language Education: Connecting Research and Practice Across Contexts

Paper/Best Practice Session (1 hour)

Not language specific.

One-Way Second/Foreign Language Immersion
Two-Way Bilingual Immersion

Elementary (K-5)
Middle School/Junior High
High School

This paper reports final findings from a groundbreaking three-year study of the effects and implementation of dual-language immersion across a large public school district. Data was analyzed from over 3,000 students; student achievement among students in immersion was examined. More than 150 observations were contucted in order to understand classroom practices.

A growing body of research from experimental cognitive psychology suggests that developing bilingualism in childhood confers certain cognitive benefits, such as improved working memory, superior executive control, and better selective attention. Further, nonrandomized evaluations of dual-language immersion programs in primary education suggest that dual-language education is associated with higher student achievement for students, regardless of native language. This paper will share findings from a three-year study of the effects of dual-language immersion on student achievement in Portland Public Schools, a large K-12 public school district that provides programs for students to learn Spanish, Mandarin Chinese, Japanese, and Russian, along with English. It will also shed light on the classroom practices of these programs.

This groundbreaking study takes advantage of the school district’s random-assignment lottery system for assigning students to dual-language immersion. Those who entered the lottery but were not assigned to dual-language immersion programs serve as the control group for the analysis. The analyses use standardized test data from state testing of approximately 3,000 students to measure student achievement outcomes in mathematics, science, and English language arts. We also conducted classroom observations (90 observations in Year One and 70 in Year Two) to document teaching practices and language use across the various language programs. The findings from the observations shed light on the implementation practices associated with the student achievement outcomes.

This study has important implications for how language immersion education and bilingualism in childhood may benefit students. It is relevant to those interested in research on the benefits of second language acquisition, second language acquisition in childhood, dual-language education, and the role of teaching practices in dual-language education.