Thesis (Ed.D.)--Boston University / PLEASE NOTE: Boston University Libraries did not receive an Authorization To Manage form for this thesis or dissertation. It is therefore not openly accessible, though it may be available by request. If you are the author or principal advisor of this work and would like to request open access for it, please contact us at open-help@bu.edu. Thank you. / This multiple case study investigated the writing behaviors and samples of Spanish-English bilingual fourth grade students in a Transitional Bilingual Education classroom in the Northeastern United States. The questions guiding the study were:
For Spanish-speaking children who are acquiring English as a second language, is
the writing process in English the same as the writing process in Spanish?
How does oral language proficiency in English affect writing proficiency in
English?
How does knowledge of writing in the Spanish affect writing in English?
Students wrote two personal narratives and two persuasive essays, one in each language, as well as a response to reading in both English and Spanish. The teacher researcher and two other teachers observed and audiotaped six students as they wrote their essays. Interviews with the students were conducted when the essays were completed to elicit information on writing behaviors observed as well as general information about personal writing habits. Data from the observations, audiotapes, and interviews were transcribed and coded. Individual cases were studied, then cross-case analyses were done.
Results from the analyses provide evidence for the transfer theory ofbiliteracy. Participants in this study generally used similar processes and strategies when writing in both languages. Results of the written products suggest that cognitive aspects of writing also transfer from one language to the other. Differences in the degree to which students employed these strategies, however, were also found. Students had less linguistic control in English, less sophisticated vocabulary, and less grammatical accuracy. Oral code switching was frequently observed, however, written code switching was infrequent. The average scores on the written samples in both languages were below the proficient level.
Findings suggest that the ability to use both languages while writing enables bilingual students to plan and compose better essays. Also, benefits of transfer will be maximized if instruction in L 1 literacy continues. Finally, explicit teaching of language-specific grammar, spelling, and punctuation rules should be conducted. / 2031-01-01
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:bu.edu/oai:open.bu.edu:2144/32771 |
| Date | January 2002 |
| Creators | Harrington, Margaret Mary |
| Publisher | Boston University |
| Source Sets | Boston University |
| Language | en_US |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis/Dissertation |
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