An aggregate analysis of assessment results to determine the effectiveness of a content area-based approach to English as a Second Language instruction

This study investigated whether a content area-based English as a Second Language approach within a transitional bilingual education program increased the effectiveness of instruction in the area of oral English proficiency for Hispanic limited English Proficient students in grades three to six to a greater degree than a language-based approach; and whether this approach increased the effectiveness of instruction to a greater degree for the same subjects in the areas of reading and writing English proficiency.;A theoretical framework utilized by the researcher based on prior findings related to effective schooling practices and ESL approaches provided the foundation for the study. A content area-based approach incorporating these areas which had been developed and implemented at the Robert Frost and John Tarbox schools in Lawrence, Massachusetts from 1993 to 1994 and a language-based approach being implemented during the same year at two other schools in Lawrence, the James Leonard and Arlington, provided the data which were analyzed in aggregate for the study.;Both the content area-based approach and the language-based approach were examined for effective schooling practices, English as a Second Language methodologies based on sound second language theoretical foundation, content-area-based approaches and native language instruction. Based on this criteria, both approaches incorporated effective schooling practices, second language teaching based on sound theoretical principles, and an emphasis on native language development. The major difference found was the use of content versus language as the vehicle for second language development.;Results of the statistical analyses of pretest and posttest data pertaining to proficiency levels on the Language Assessment Scales test across the four schools and four grade levels indicated that gains were higher for the content area-based approach in all three areas of English proficiency, oral, and reading and writing. However, both the content area-based approach group and the language-based approach group demonstrated statistically significant gains in the areas assessed. At the alpha level of.05, no statistically significant differences were found between the two groups in gains attained in any of the three areas.;Data for the content area-based approach group were previously analyzed for significance of variance in English proficiency scores on the Language Assessment Scales test in 1994. Data were examined by individual schools and grade levels. No aggregate analyses across schools or grade levels were conducted at that time. In addition, no control group receiving an alternative approach to English as a Second Language instruction was included in the analyses. Results of the analyses indicated that four of the seven groups receiving a content area-based approach demonstrated statistically significant gains in oral proficiency. Six of the seven groups demonstrated statistically significant gains in reading and writing proficiency.