Early-Adolescent Dual Language Learners' Reading Comprehension: Influences of Teacher Questions and Language Efficacy

This study examined the relation between middle school Dual Language Learners' (DLLs'; N = 413; M age = 11.66 years old; 87.1% Latino; female = 234, male = 179) reading comprehension skills and their teachers' (N = 32; M age = 36.53 years; 81.3% Caucasian; female = 27, male = 5) questioning practices across the school year. This study also examined relations between DLLs' engagement in high-quality discussion practices, language efficacy (i.e., beliefs about their capabilities to use language), and reading comprehension. Results demonstrated that teachers' use of authentic (open-ended) questions was positively related to their DLL students' reading comprehension; teachers' questioning practices were consistent across the year. Results also revealed a positive interaction between DLLs' high-quality discussion practices and their language efficacy in predicting reading comprehension. That is, when DLLs had higher language efficacy, there was a more positive effect of their high-quality discussion practices on their Spring reading comprehension scores. These findings suggest that teachers' questioning practices are important in creating classroom environments that promote DLLs' reading comprehension.