Research Plan

EDUC 6327
Brenda Castillo

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The topic that I decided to research about was dual language. More specifically what
resources can be used to help students learn the second language. This would be for either the
monolinguals or the bilinguals. I wanted to research different aspects of this topic to better
understand what the obstacles may be and then find possible solutions for these problems.
The first journal was about investigating about policies, procedures and where
negotiation was allowed. The study focused on the demographics in Manhattan and the area
surrounding the district, the program model and resources available for teachers for both
languages. Something that I found intriguing about this study was that it was from the Northeast
part of the United States. I know that bilingual programs are present and necessary throughout
the nation. It was interesting to see how this program worked in that part of the nation. The
method in which this study was collected was through interviews. Seven schools were
interviewed; the participants varied from principals, assistant principals, administrators and dual
language coordinators. Others involved included council members, parents of English language
learners, dual language parents and researchers. By gathering information from different people
from the schools they were able to get various perspectives. The results were that all of those
who were interviewed were invested in the program. The principals however admitted that it was
difficult to stick to the 50/50 program. It also found that the most involved were the monolingual
parents and the middle class Spanish speaking parents. In order for the program to be successful,
integration is key. It also needs to network to be better effective.
The second article that I chose for my research focused on a factor that is many times
overlooked as important. It focused on gender differences in learning dual language. We are told
many times that boys and girls learn differently. This study measured whether this would make a
difference in their performance in the dual language program. Before I conducted the research I

was unsure on what I would discover. This study narrowed its focused on the bi-literacy of both
students in an urban district. The way in which this research was conducted was having
standardized testing in California for several years. Four different schools were used for this
research and their mean scores were their focus. Overall females scored better on tests than their
male peers. Even though they outscored their peers, many of them were still below level. The
research proved that there are differences in how genders perform on a standardized test. This
would bring up the question of why this may be. As I continued my research, I wanted to see
which resources could be used to help all students in the dual language program. I came upon the
next article, which questioned the TAP program.
This program was used in kinder and first grade. The program is called Teacher Artist
Project. Students are able to learn a new language while having fun. This research was from
California and took place in five elementary schools. There were many different strategies that
this program used such as; using theatre and music. Both students whom were in the program
and those who were not were assessed using the California English Development Test. This test
is similar to the TELPAS we have in Texas. It assesses the proficiency in speaking, reading,
writing and listening. For the kinder students they had a great improvement between those who
were in the program compared to those who were not. The first graders did not have that big of
the improvement but their overall score was an improvement. Another source of resource can be
intervention. The following study was researching whether intervention would make a difference
for students who are in dual language. This study also questioned whether gender would make a
difference. There were forty male and forty female students observed. Of these, seventy were
given regular transitional instruction. The rest were given intervention with a dual language
layout. The language was structured specific by time. Students who received the dual language

were more proficient than their peers were. What kind of resources can be used for the need for
students learning a second language in the dual language program?
Participants
Teachers, specialists and dual language coordinator will be interviewed. It will be necessary to
have members from different levels in order to get a better picture of what is being used
throughout schools. I will use networking to expand this to teachers, specialists throughout my
district. Their experience in this program will vary because each school is at different levels. This
means that some schools have just started the program, others have some grade levels and others
have had it established for several years.
Measures
The type of measure will be interview questions. The questions will vary from how comfortable
they feel in the program. Do they think that their experience influences this and why. Have they
thought that there will be differences in the way that monolinguals and bilinguals are learning the
new language? Will some strategies work with only one group? Which strategies have they tried?
Which ones would they recommend? What are their concerns? How will they address these
concerns? What will they need to achieve success through the difficulties?
Design and Procedure
I will include a description of the reasoning behind collecting this information. It is also
necessary to express the importance of the honesty. The design will be questions and enough
space for participants to type in or write in their responses. Questions will be divided by topic.
Directions on how to properly answer the questions; expectations of responses will be included. I

will email these interview questions. With those who are in my campus, I will verbally explain
how the research will be conducted and the importance of their participation.
Data Analysis
I will read the answers to the questions and look for commonalities. I will also determine
whether there are connections between campuses or amount of experience. I would use a chart to
organize my data. It would include the questions that stood out from the rest.

Resources:
Beverly, I. J. , Lara-Alecio, R., Mathes, P.G. , &Tong, F. (2011). The Journal of Educational
Research: The Effects of an Instructional Intervention on Dual Language Development Among
First-Grade Hispanic English-Learning Boys and Girls: A Two-Year Longitudinal Study.
Volume: 104. p.8799
Retrieved from http://web.b.ebscohost.com.ezproxy.stthom.edu
Cortina, R., Makar, C., Mount-Cors, M. (2015). Dual Language as a Social Movement: Putting
Languages on a Level Playing Field. Journal of Current Issues in Comparative Education, Vol.
17 Issue 1, p5-16
Lapayese, Y., Huchting, K., & Grimalt, O. (2014). Gender and Bilingual Education: An
Exploratory Study of the Academic Achievement of Latina and Latino English Learners. Journal
Of Latinos & Education, 13(2), 152-160. doi:10.1080/15348431.2013.821067
Lopez, M.M. (2013). Bilingual Research Journal: Mothers Choose: Reasons for Enrolling Their
Children in a Two-Way Immersion Program. Vol: 36: p. 208227 Retrieved from
http://web.b.ebscohost.com.ezproxy.stthom.edu