Exploring the effects of heterogeneous grouping on English learners' language, reading, comprehension and social network development

With funding from the Institute of Education Sciences, Michael Kieffer (PI), Elise Cappella (co-I) and I (co-PI) are teaming up to explore the effects of grouping on literacy and social outcomes for 4th and 5th grade multilingual students. Specifically, we are interested in understanding whether specific small-group instruction is most effective for groups of only multilingual learners, or for groups of multilingual learners and their monolingual peers together. Using the CLAVES curriculum as a standard of instructional care, we will investigate whether specific literacy outcomes differ as a function of participation homogenous versus heterogeneous groups. From a social interaction perspective, we will be employing social network analyses to explore the social ties that students develop with their peers and whether group participation is associated with the nature and types of social ties that students form with one another. See www.clavescurriculum.net for more information.