| Classroom activity and student success were explored in two first-grade classrooms: one two-way bilingual and one mainstream. Both classrooms had Hispanic and non-Hispanic students. The goal was to portray each classroom qualitatively, and to test whether certain aspects of classroom activity correlated with specific measures of student success. Within each classroom, these questions were addressed: (1) Does classroom activity differ for Hispanic versus non-Hispanic students? (2) Do the academic and social/psychological outcomes tested differ for Hispanic versus non-Hispanic students? (3) Is there a correlation between classroom activity and student outcomes, and among the outcomes themselves?; Classroom activities measured were: teacher-initiated interactions with students, student classroom engagement, and peer-peer interactions. Student outcomes assessed were: self-esteem, using Harter's (1983) Pictorial Scale for Children; attitude towards school, evaluated through a questionnaire: and academic achievement, measured using a test based on the Iowa Tests of Basic Skills.; The most important finding pertained to voluntary participation. In the bilingual program, Hispanics participated more in Spanish, and non-Hispanics participated more in English. English participation for the Hispanics in the bilingual program increased over time, and when combining the participation in the two languages, differences between Hispanic and Non-Hispanic students disappeared. In contrast, in the mainstream program, English participation by the Hispanics did not increase over time. In the bilingual program only, non-Hispanics performed better in English than the Hispanics, and Hispanics performed better in Spanish than the non-Hispanics. There were no differences in math in either program. Most of the social/psychological outcomes did not differ for Hispanic versus non-Hispanic students. In both classrooms, there was a positive correlation between academic scores and voluntary participation; between teacher praise for cognitive reasons and class participation; and between Spanish and English performance for Hispanic students in both classrooms. Implications of these findings for our understanding of bilingual education, and of the processes that foster learning are discussed. |
