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

Paper/Best Practice Session (1 hour)

Multiple

One-Way Second/Foreign Language Immersion

Elementary (K-5)

We describe a study that investigates development of L2 oral skills among third grade native English speakers learning Chinese, French and Spanish in one-way DLI programs. Using samples produced during annual testing (AAPPL), we measure the development of linguistic complexity via two measures: mean length of T-units and lexical diversity.

This presentation reports on a research study that investigates development of L2 oral skills among 3rd-grade native English speaking learners of Chinese, French and Spanish enrolled in one-way Dual Language Immersion programs. Speaking performance was assessed via the ACTFL Assessment of Performance toward Proficiency in Languages (AAPPL). Using samples of language produced during annual school testing, we investigate the development of linguistic complexity at the level of individual features, that is, on the level of what has been termed structural complexity, to determine how L2 development manifests within and across the three languages and across the learner proficiency levels. We use two measures to assess structural complexity: mean length of T-units and lexical diversity.

The T-unit is a measure borrowed from L1 research and is defined as a main clause plus any subordinate clause attached to it (Hunt 1965). It has been widely used as a reliable measure of L2 linguistic development (Larsen-Freeman and Strom 1977; Larsen-Freeman 1978, 1983; Wolfe-Quintero, Inagaki & Kim 1998; Ortega, 2003; Iwashita et al., 2008; Chen & Zechner 2011; Rubio, 2012).

Lexical diversity is commonly defined as a measure of the different words used in a text. There is abundant research that shows a positive correlation between lexical diversity and overall linguistic development (Malvern, Richards, Chipere & Durán, 2004; Zareva, Schwanenflugel & Nikolova, 2005; Yu, 2009)

The presenters will discuss the implications of this study for researchers and practitioners in Dual Language programs.