scholarly journals Child Care Experiences Among Dual Language Learners in the United States

AERA Open ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 3 (2) ◽  
pp. 233285841769938 ◽  
Author(s):  
Linda M. Espinosa ◽  
Doré R. LaForett ◽  
Margaret Burchinal ◽  
Adam Winsler ◽  
Hsiao-Chuan Tien ◽  
...  
2020 ◽  
Vol 63 (9) ◽  
pp. 3084-3099 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jeannette Mancilla-Martinez ◽  
Jin Kyoung Hwang ◽  
Min Hyun Oh ◽  
Elena Lauren Pokowitz

Purpose Elementary-age dual language learners (DLLs) from Spanish-speaking homes in the United States are often characterized as at risk for low vocabulary in both Spanish and English. This longitudinal study examined conceptually scored receptive and expressive vocabulary development among DLLs from Spanish-speaking, low-income homes and investigated patterns of language responses on the conceptually scored measures. Method DLLs in kindergarten and second grade ( N = 118) attending school in the Southeast region of the United States were followed for three consecutive academic years and assessed on measures of receptive and expressive conceptually scored vocabulary. Results Individual growth modeling, using raw scores, revealed positive vocabulary growth over time, with above average performance relative to national norms. However, initial conceptually scored receptive vocabulary scores were higher than conceptually scored expressive vocabulary scores. Furthermore, DLLs' conceptually scored receptive—but not expressive—vocabulary rate of growth was more rapid compared to national norms. Finally, DLLs' patterns of language responses revealed a shift toward more English over time, but Spanish continued to be used through fourth grade. Conclusion Results contradict deficit-driven views about DLLs' vocabulary skills and underscore the utility of conceptually scored vocabulary measures to assess vocabulary development among elementary-age DLLs to more comprehensively account for the linguistic assets they bring to learning.


Author(s):  
Michelle L. Amodei ◽  
Laura J. Strong

Educational expectations vary according to a child's culture. In the United States and many other parts of the world, the population of young people entering the educational system is becoming more culturally diverse. In response, educators seek new ways to adapt pedagogical practices to meet the needs of diverse learners. Storytelling is a universal approach that is practiced in many cultures, and story cubes are highly motivating because they encourage children's personal and relevant contributions while addressing the following language domains: reading, writing, listening, and speaking. The first part of this chapter provides a framework for linking the needs of dual language learners to developmentally appropriate practices using storytelling, and the second part addresses the importance of storytelling for young children who are dual language learners while providing specific strategies for using story cubes as a culturally responsive approach to enhancing and supporting linguistic, social, and cognitive development.


Author(s):  
Michelle L. Amodei ◽  
Laura J. Strong

Educational expectations vary according to a child's culture. In the United States and many other parts of the world, the population of young people entering the educational system is becoming more culturally diverse. In response, educators seek new ways to adapt pedagogical practices to meet the needs of diverse learners. Storytelling is a universal approach that is practiced in many cultures, and story cubes are highly motivating because they encourage children's personal and relevant contributions while addressing the following language domains: reading, writing, listening, and speaking. The first part of this chapter provides a framework for linking the needs of dual language learners to developmentally appropriate practices using storytelling, and the second part addresses the importance of storytelling for young children who are dual language learners while providing specific strategies for using story cubes as a culturally responsive approach to enhancing and supporting linguistic, social, and cognitive development.


2016 ◽  
Vol 47 (4) ◽  
pp. 347-371 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lillian K. Durán ◽  
Daphne Hartzheim ◽  
Emily M. Lund ◽  
Vicki Simonsmeier ◽  
Theresa L. Kohlmeier

Purpose The purpose of this systematic review was to determine what bilingual or home language interventions have been found to be effective for 2- to 6-year-old dual language learners who have language impairment (LI) or are at risk for LI. Method We conducted ancestral searches and searches of electronic databases, hand-searched article bibliographies, and searched 19 journals for experimental, quasiexperimental, or single-subject studies. Results The review yielded 26 studies that were coded for quality, frequency and duration of the intervention, number of participants, location of intervention, interventionist, language(s) of intervention, and reported or calculated effect sizes. Studies were grouped by those that focused specifically on at-risk populations and those that focused on children with LI. Emerging trends provide support for bilingual and/or home language interventions for both children with LI and those at risk for LI. Conclusions There were relatively few studies that met inclusion criteria, and the average quality rating for a study was 6.8 out of 9.0 possible points. More high-quality research is needed, particularly with populations that speak languages other than Spanish. Clinicians need more evidence-based recommendations to improve the language and literacy outcomes of the diverse range of dual language learners served in the United States and abroad.


2019 ◽  
Vol 50 (7) ◽  
pp. 896-914
Author(s):  
Sara Chung ◽  
Qing Zhou ◽  
Catherine Anicama ◽  
Carol Rivera ◽  
Yuuko Uchikoshi

Dual language learners (DLLs) make up 32% of all children in the United States. Past research showed that proficiency in a heritage language (HL) was associated with better psychological adjustment in school-aged children and adolescents, but the associations of HL and English (EL) proficiency with preschool-aged DLLs’ socioemotional adjustment remain understudied. This study included a sample of low-income Mexican and Chinese immigrant families with preschool-aged DLLs ( N = 90). Children’s HL and EL proficiencies were assessed using language tests. Parents rated their own cultural orientations, parenting styles, and children’s socioemotional adjustment. Children’s expressed anger/frustration and sadness were observed from an emotion-evoking task. Path analyses were conducted to test (a) the unique relations of children’s HL and EL proficiency and parents’ American and heritage cultural orientations to parenting styles, and (b) the relations of parenting styles to children’s adjustment. Results showed that children’s expressive HL proficiency and parents’ American and heritage cultural orientations were positively associated with authoritative parenting, which in turn was associated with children’s lower externalizing problems and higher prosocial behaviors. Children’s expressive EL was negatively associated with parents’ use of authoritarian parenting, and both expressive and receptive HL were negatively associated with children’s expressed sadness. These results indicate that children’s HL development and parents’ host and heritage cultural orientations are associated with socioemotional benefits for young DLLs growing up in low-income immigrant families.


2018 ◽  
Vol 6 (2) ◽  
pp. 86
Author(s):  
Tammy Oberg De La Garza ◽  
Erin Mackinney

<p><em>This article provides a historical overview of English language instruction in the United States as well as a spectrum of the current models used in schools. From subtractive methods to additive approaches, the benefits of each are explored. This work highlights the rapidly expanding movement towards Dual Language instruction for English language learners, and the advantages it brings to students, schools and the community. The authors examine future considerations for Dual Language programming and the escalating need for these qualified and specialized educators.</em></p>


2021 ◽  
Vol 2 (3) ◽  
pp. p1
Author(s):  
Jolene Andriaschko ◽  
Sunddip Panesar-Aguilar ◽  
Chris Cale ◽  
Michelle McCraney

In the Midwestern state, there are 164,000 of the 1,064,000 children enrolled in Head Start programs are dual language learners. Although the number of dual language learners is increasing in the United States, there is a gap in educational practice about challenges Head Start teachers and education coordinators face in working with this population. An exploration of Head Start teachers’ and education coordinators’ perspectives regarding the support teachers need to meet the challenges working with dual language learners is presented. This study was grounded in Jim Cummins’s language acquisition framework, which suggests that dual language learners’ benefit from instruction in their native language and the language of the classroom. A basic qualitative study design was used with a purposeful sample of 8 Head Start teachers, 1 Head Start education coordinator, and 1 Head Start site manager. Using semi- structured interviews, results revealed that Head Start teachers realized they need additional support to meet the challenges of working with dual language learners. Three themes emerged from the data: (a) participants had a positive outlook on using native language both in the classroom and at home, (b) perspectives on support needed to meet the challenges of working with dual language learners varied from teacher to teacher and from teachers to education coordinators, and (c) participants had a positive outlook on teaching dual language learners while recognizing the need for support in working with these learners.


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