The effects of a prekindergarten program on the English language development of four-year-old Hispanic children

Abstract

In recent years, considerable research attention has been given to learning a second language. However, little, if any, information about the effectiveness of Texas' prekindergarten bilingual program has been documented. This dissertation added to the body of knowledge in bilingual education by reporting the effects of the prekindergarten program on the English language development of Limited English Proficient (LEP) Hispanic four-year-olds.

The purposes of this study were to provide empirical data about English language development of ycung limited English proficient students who received instruction in the prekindergarten program. Other variates such as sex, age, and neighborhood were also considered. Older English-speaking siblings received attention, but insufficient data was collected to include the information in the empirical study.