Evaluation of Transitional and Maintenance Bilingual Programs

The primary purpose of this study was to determine the long-term effect of transitional (TBE) and maintenance (MBE) bilingual instructional programs on the development of native (LI) and English (L2) oral-language proficiency. The sample populations included TBE-instructed Vietnamese (n = 125) and MBE-instructed Hispanic (n = 298) children enrolled in kindergarten through second grade during 1984 through 1987. The study also examined change in LI and L2 oral-language proficiency across grades K-2 for TBE and MBE programs and the subsequent bilingualism of participants. These variables were analyzed for three linguistically homogeneous groups of TBE and MBE subjects who were classified in kindergarten as (a) the most limited English proficient (LEP), (b) fluent in their LI, or (c) nearly fluent in their LI. The most significant overall findings emerging from the study related to positive (additive) and negative (subtractive) effects of TBE and MBE programs on their respective participants' oral L1, L2, and subsequent bilingualism.