Young Children Native Language Skills Predict Success in Second Language Acquisition
Edith Arias
San Francisco State University
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One important part of human development is language. Language is the mean of
communication between humans and it is extremely important to understand its
development. But, when a young child needs a second language to become part of a
society or a new environment, it is even more imperative to understand how the
development of acquiring the second language can be obtain in the most effective way. In
the United States, this topic is a point of debate, so English immersion (instruction in
English only) and transitional bilingual programs (instruction in English and native
language) are implemented to reach this goal. Nonetheless, according to research, it has
been proven that young children native language skills predict success in second language
acquisition. Therefore, it is crucial that teachers understand the development of the second
language acquisition at a young age to facilitate its development in children.
A research article by Lee Branum-Martin and colleagues had results indicating that
language instruction plays a role in impacting the levels of bilingual literacy outcomes.
This study examined the construct validity of English and Spanish phonological awareness
(PA). The study was done with a sample of 812 kindergarten children from 71 transitional
bilingual education program classrooms located in three different types of geographic
regions in California and Texas. Children had standardized tests in Spanish and English.
The phonological awareness testing included blending non-words, segmenting words, and
phoneme elision measured in Spanish and English. The results showed that the PA tasks
defined a unitary construct at both the student and classroom levels in each language. The
high correlation between Spanish and English PA indicates considerable overlap in these
abilities. This indicates that language instruction may not only impact the mean levels of
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important bilingual literacy outcomes, but also alter classrooms and student-level relations
among outcomes across English and Spanish.
English language acquisition is a major need for elementary age students in
California. English is important for their future success in academic achievement,
especially compared to their native English-speaking peers. California educates one-third
of all the nation’s English language learner (ELL) students (1.6 million students) and 85%
of all ELL students are Spanish speaking (Payan & Nettles, 2005). There have been reports
that about 8 percent (3.7 million students) of the national public-school enrollment in
1999-2000 consisted of language minority students who were not able to use English well
enough to participate effectively in an English-only classroom (Macias, 2011).
Therefore, school instruction should be designed to help ELL students build on
their first language knowledge through bilingual activities implemented in the classroom.
Research affirms that providing a rich second-language environment can be enriched by
linking English language to other language(s) the students already know (Horst, White, &
Bell, 2010).
As further support, another study of Spanish-speaking Kindergarteners evaluated
whether, in a 2 weeks trial period, their vocabulary in English could increase more when
they were instructed in English only or when they were instructed in English with
enhanced Spanish bridging. The participants were twenty-two Spanish-speaking children
learning English. The setting was a classroom in a four-week summer educational
program for migrant families in Florida. The method used was a random assignment of the
children to two weeks period of instruction in word expansions in English or English
readings with words expansions in Spanish. At the end of the trail period the children were
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assessed with standardized testing of language proficiency and vocabulary. The findings
were that the students with the Spanish bridging instruction (bilingual education) gained
more English vocabulary than the students who received English instruction only (LugoNeris, Jackson, & Goldstein, 2010). Therefore, it is crucial that English acquisition be
bridged with the student’s first home language so that the student can thrive within their
classroom curriculum. Reynaldo F. Macias (2011) believes that the more literate children
are in their native language, the easier it will be for the children to acquire the English
language in the U. S. schools. A bilingual approach is necessary to attain this goal in
elementary school settings.
Another study examines language influence in sequential bilinguals (children who
learned their native language first and later acquire a second language). It evaluates
whether performance in a first language predicts success in the acquisition of a second
language nine months after exposure to the second language. The participants in this study
were forty-nine Spanish-speaking children attending English-only pre-kindergarten
classrooms. At the beginning of the school year the children were assessed in Spanish
using a Spanish version of the Bilingual English Spanish Assessment (BESA). Then, nine
months later the children were assessed again, but using the English-BESA. The study
findings were that there was an indication that a significant correlation between semantic
and grammatical measures existed across languages. Therefore, first language predicted
grammatical and semantic measures in the second language. The study concludes that is
“not because of linguistic transfer, but by virtue of individual differences in language
learning abilities present in typical populations” (Castilla, Restrepo & Perez-Leroux,
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2009). So, this study supports the idea that taking in consideration the first language
abilities can help in the transition of acquiring the second language.
The important to help ELL elementary students acquire the English language is
because of the critical period effects in second language acquisition. Research findings
show that a culminating period of second language acquisition in early adolescence should
allow students of a second language to attain complete native-speaker ability, “whereas
late adolescent and adult learners would generally show a variation skewed toward
rudimentary proficiency” (Francis, 2005).
When an ELL student is predicted to succeed, their first language cannot be
replaced. The student’s second language will take years to become proficient at the same
level than their first language. Therefore, “there are no justifications for delaying literacy
development until a child reaches L2 [second language] development to support the
acquisition of literacy skills” (Casilla, Restrepo, & Perez-Leroux, 2009). Teachers should
learn that it is important that students continue to build new information on the skills and
knowledge they already have. ELL students need a bridge to move from their native
language to acquisition of English.
If a student in the United States does not appropriately acquire the English
language to a proficiency level it could have long-term consequences for state and local
economies. The reason is because a student who cannot continue their education because
of a language barrier or lack of proficiency will eventually drop out of school. Therefore,
the local and state social programs must spend more because their populations have lower
educational levels. Also, less-educated populaces make it less attractive for new business
investment (Alliance for Excellent Education, 2007). This is a reason why it is important
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to help ELL students in elementary schools succeed in their English acquisition, so that we
ensure “that all of California’s students have the knowledge and skills they need to
contribute effectively to the state’s economy and society” (Huang, 2008).
As Reynaldo F. Macias (2011) states in his article: “We have argued that raising
cross-linguistic [bilingual] awareness is a viable pedagogy with demonstrable advantages
for learners (n.p.).” So, even though recently the growing population of ethnic and
linguistic diversity in classrooms has become a challenge, teachers can receive training to
overcome the situation. A study of teachers and ELL students, although related to the use
of technology, demonstrated that when teachers are trained to use resources and creative
curriculum, the students can increase their English language acquisition because teachers
used new approaches that facilitate the process (Lee, 2006). Teachers in California have
the future of ELL in their hands.
Therefore, it is necessary for teachers to understand the dynamics of Englishlanguage acquisition and ways to help ELL students become proficient in the English
language. A student’s elementary years are crucial for English language acquisition to a
proficiency level (Francis, 2005). Teacher-training programs that increases teachers’
knowledge of English language acquisition in elementary school students should be
consider an intervention method in schools in California. This action will ensure the future
success of elementary ELL students through the extra support of the teachers’ increased
knowledge of how to help children in their classrooms. In other words, teachers would
learn that young children native language skills predict success in second language
acquisition.
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References
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