Music-Based and Language-Based Literacies in Spanish-English Emergent Bi/Multilingual First Graders: Music Aptitude, Phonological Awareness, and Morphological Awareness

Date

2022

Authors

Lozada, Victor

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Abstract

The purpose of this study is to understand the relationships among music aptitude, phonological awareness in Spanish and English, and morphological awareness in Spanish and English in first grade, Spanish-English emergent bi/multilingual children in a mid-sized suburban public school in Texas. A sequential explanatory mixed methodology was employed in which the quantitative portion used a correlational design with a critical quantitative approach while the qualitative portion used semi- structured interviews as writing conferences alongside writing samples to explain the quantitative data,

employing a critical mixed method. Quantitative data indicated statistically significant relationships between (1) music aptitude and phonological awareness in Spanish, (2) phonological awareness in Spanish and phonological awareness in English, (3) phonological awareness in English and morphological awareness in English, and (4) phonological awareness in Spanish and morphological awareness in English. Qualitative data indicated the following themes that arose from the data: (1) music at home: passive listening, (2) music at home: active music making, (3) connecting sound to text: in writing, (4) connecting sound to text: in speech, (5) the presence of translanguaging, and (6) the absence of translanguaging. The qualitative data explained the relationships found in the quantitative data. Implications for music education, bi/multilingual education, early literacy indicators, and assessment. Recommendations for policy, practice, and research including (1) the need to fund early childhood music and bi/multilingual education, (2) the importance of using the arts in bi/multilingual education, (3) the need for quick, valid, and reliable assessment tools for research and practitioner purposes, and (4) the need for researchers to translate critical methodologies to the positivist epistemologies of policymakers so that they can create a better world for minoritized populations.

Description

Texas Woman's University

Keywords

Reading Education

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