EMERGENT BILINGUAL STUDENTS WHO BEAT THE ODDS: A STUDY OF FACTORS RELATED TO ACADEMICALLY SUCCESSFUL STUDENTS CLASSIFIED AS EBS

This study explored the relationship between Texas Emergent Bilingual (EB) students’ participation in an Advanced Placement (AP) exam and four predictor variables at the school district level. One year of archival data from 125 Texas school districts informed the study. The total number of students in these districts classified as EB or ELL was 795,330. Social Constructivism and Social Capital Theories framed the research design. Multiple regression was run to predict AP exam participation from percent Economically Disadvantaged, percent participation in a bilingual program, average students per teacher, and average teacher experience. Results from this study indicated that one of the four independent variables was statistically significant at the .05 level. The percentage of students classified as Economically Disadvantaged was the only statistically significant variable (𝛽 = -.350). The variable Percent Economically Disadvantaged (r = .29, p < .001) was positively correlated with the variable Percent Student Participation in a Bilingual Program. Furthermore, the variable Percent Economically Disadvantaged was negatively correlated with both AP Exam Participation (r = -.30, p < .001) and Average Teacher Experience (r = -.32, p < .001). The independent variables of Percent in Bilingual Program (𝛽 = .186), Average Student: Teacher Ratio (𝛽 = .138), and Average Teacher Experience (𝛽 = .933) did not have a statistically significant relationship with the dependent variable Percent [Emergent Bilingual students’] Participation in an AP Exam. v Discussion of these findings and recommendations for future research are offered. Implications for policy and practice include increased fidelity to best practices in bilingual education, particularly the program’s length and teacher qualifications. Other implications are improving EBs’ access to AP courses and continued efforts to mitigate poverty for all students. Future research may explore different variables, populations, and research designs. Data which includes reclassified EBs will be especially valuable.