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Closing the Achievement Gap in the Latino Population: An Investigation of the Effectiveness of Bridges Bilingual Program

Hughes, Melissa A.
http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=akron1164053355

Abstract Details

2006, Doctor of Philosophy, University of Akron, Secondary Education.
This mixed methods study was conducted to investigate whether a relationship exists between the implementation of the Bridges program (Bridges Bilingual Parent Resource) during the academic school year and achievement gains in a largely Latino student population. Parental involvement and student motivation were also important components in this study. Developed as a bilingual parent resource, the Bridges program provides grade level exercises and activities for the purpose of assisting parents in engaging their children over the summer months to decrease summer learning loss. Instructions and additional resources (i.e., glossary, etc.) are written in both Spanish and English to serve both populations. Each book presents materials that should serve as a review of the skills acquired over the previous academic year and expose students to new skills to which students will be introduced in the upcoming academic year. The purpose of this study was to determine if Bridges would serve as an effective tool for parents to assist their children during the academic year and to determine if it increases student achievement. Parents and their children attending a charter school in New Mexico were asked to participate in the study that provided the families with the Bridges materials at no cost. Data were collected from 73 students that participated in the Bridges program, and 261 students who did not. The New Mexico Standards-based Assessment Tests and DIBELS fall and spring scores (for reading in Grades 1-2) were used to evaluate student achievement as pretest and posttest measures for all of the subjects in the study. A pre-program questionnaire and a post-program questionnaire were created to obtain information regarding parental involvement, student motivation, environmental factors, and attitudes toward education. Parents of the students in the Bridges group completed the questionnaires before they began the program and after they submitted the Bridges materials back to the researcher at the end of the program. Multiple Linear Regression was used and each specific hypothesis was analyzed and interpreted separately. Qualitative data was also collected from questionnaires and telephone interviews. The findings demonstrated that while overall achievement gains were not evident, the qualitative data indicated a value and a need for bilingual parent resources like the Bridges program. Furthermore, while the Bridges program is not conducive to be implemented during the school year, parents and students would most likely see greater benefits if implemented during the summer months as the program was originally intended.
Denise Stuart (Advisor)
Isadore Newman (Other)
Carole Newman (Other)
Lynn Smolen (Other)
Sajit Zachariah (Other)
208 p.
Hispanic achievement gap; Latino achievement gap; student motivation, parental involvement

Recommended Citations

Citations

  • Hughes, M. A. (2006). Closing the Achievement Gap in the Latino Population: An Investigation of the Effectiveness of Bridges Bilingual Program [Doctoral dissertation, University of Akron]. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=akron1164053355

    APA Style (7th edition)

  • Hughes, Melissa. Closing the Achievement Gap in the Latino Population: An Investigation of the Effectiveness of Bridges Bilingual Program. 2006. University of Akron, Doctoral dissertation. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center, http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=akron1164053355.

    MLA Style (8th edition)

  • Hughes, Melissa. "Closing the Achievement Gap in the Latino Population: An Investigation of the Effectiveness of Bridges Bilingual Program." Doctoral dissertation, University of Akron, 2006. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=akron1164053355

    Chicago Manual of Style (17th edition)

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© 2006, all rights reserved.
This open access ETD is published by University of Akron and OhioLINK.