Supportive language strategies for preschool dual language learners: Associations with early language outcomes

Abstract

To better understand the language environments of early childhood education (ECE) classrooms with dual language learners (DLLs), we examined the frequency with which adults use various language facilitation strategies, potential classroom characteristics that may predict teacher strategy use and the impact that teacher strategy use may have on DLL children's lexical and morphosyntactic skills. The study included 21 preschool classrooms and 69 children from a Latine background who spoke Spanish at home. Classroom observations were recorded at three different timepoints in one school year. A total of 14 strategies were of interest: English-General (n = 5), Spanish-General (n = 5), and DLL-Specific (n = 4) language facilitation strategies.

A between-subjects one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) indicated that the frequency in which teachers were using the strategies did not differ by strategy type. Hierarchical linear models (HLM) were used to test the association between classroom characteristics and strategy use and DLL language outcomes. Results indicated that the proportion of DLLs had significant positive associations with teachers’ use of general strategies in Spanish and DLL specific language strategies. The analyses also revealed a significant negative association between teachers’ use of Spanish general language strategies and children's English lexical outcomes and positive associations between English general language strategy use and children's morphosyntactic outcomes. This study informs our understanding of adult-DLL interactions in ECE programs, the frequency in which different language facilitation strategies are used in these classrooms, and the impact that implementation of such strategies may have on DLL children's language growth.