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Jannah W. Nerran, Hope E. Wilson, Carol D. Abel

Overcoming Poverty to Construct Language: Differences in Rural and Urban Head Start Preschoolers’ English Language Acquisition and Response to Indirect Language Stimulation Intervention. Jannah W. Nerran, Hope E. Wilson, Carol D. Abel

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Jannah W. Nerran, Hope E. Wilson, Carol D. Abel

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  1. Overcoming Poverty to Construct Language:Differences in Rural and Urban Head Start Preschoolers’ English Language Acquisition and Response to Indirect Language Stimulation Intervention • Jannah W. Nerran, Hope E. Wilson, Carol D. Abel • American Educational Research Association, San Francisco, CA, May, 2013

  2. Introduction

  3. While we are NOT able to fix capitalism that may be perpetuating poverty in America to its core, (referencing Dr. Leonardo’s audio on the AERA website) • . . . we CAN offer some ideas on HOW TO remedy some of the language barriers that persist in blocking the dialogue that needs to happen first.

  4. Our Research • Our ideas are simple and straightforward: • One-day Training for Teachers • Integrate simple ideas in classrooms • English Language improves

  5. Our Research Design • Random Selection of Intervention/Comparison Teachers • One Day Training • Pre/Post Assessment of Expressive and Receptive Language • Classroom Integration • Monthly Visits for Fidelity

  6. Background Research • Importance of early language in future academic success (National Reading Panel, 2000; Morrow, Reuda, & Lapp, 2009) • Environmental influences on language development (Hart & Risley, 2003; Helman, 2005) • Social Constructivism (Vygotsky, 1933) • Limitations of poverty on language development (August & Shanahan, 2006)

  7. “SPEAK” Strategies

  8. SPEAK • Seek opportunities to engage in conversation with children

  9. SPEAK • Personalize communication with children by talking about what THEY are doing or seeing.

  10. SPEAK • Engage children in conversation by asking open-ended questions.

  11. SPEAK • Assist children’s language by expanding what they say.

  12. SPEAK • Keep it simple; refrain from bombarding language learners with too much information at once.

  13. Study Results

  14. Sample Demographics • 633 participants • Head Start • Low SES • Equal Male and Female • Equal Intervention and Comparison • More Rural than Urban

  15. Descriptive Statistics • 3-5 year olds • Pre Scores more than 1 SD from national means • Significant growth across sample

  16. Treatment & Comparison • Comparison sample slightly older • No differences in pre scores

  17. Rural & Urban Samples • Rural sample slightly older • Urban children lower EVT and PPVT scores prior to intervention

  18. Expressive Language • Intervention had a significant effect on expressive language • Small Effect • No interaction effect means intervention worked equally well for urban and rural populations

  19. Receptive Language • No significant effects • All groups had significant improvements

  20. Implications

  21. Language Intervention is crucial to language development.

  22. Language Intervention was effective in improving expressive language.

  23. Language Intervention was equally effective for rural and urban contexts.

  24. Head Start is effective in developing language in children.

  25. REFERENCES • August, D. & Shanahan, T., Eds. (2006). Developing literacy in second-language learners: Report of the National Literacy Panel on Language-Minority Children and Youth (p. 214). Mahwah, NJ: LEA. • Bohannon, J. N. and Bonvillian, J. D. (2000). Theoretical approaches to language acquisition. In J. B. Gleason (Ed.). The development of language (pp. 254-314). Needham Heights, MA: Allyn & Bacon. In Tsybina I., Girolametto, L., Weitzman, E., and Greenberg, J. (2006 October). Recasts used with preschoolers learning English as their second language. Early Childhood Education Journal, 34, 178-179. • Cohen, J. (1992). A power primer. Psychological Bulletin, 112, 155-159. • Dickinson, D. K. (2001). Large group and free-play times: Conversational settings supporting language and literacy development. In D. K. Dickinson and P. O. Tabors (Eds.). Beginning literacy with language (pp. 223-255). Baltimore: Brookes. • Dunn, L. M., & Dunn, D. M. (2007). Peabody picture cocabulary test manual (4th ed.). Minneapolis, MN: Pearson. • Good Talking With You Series (2007). Oh say what they see—An introduction to indirect language stimulation techniques. Portland, OR: Educational Productions. Retrieved from http://www.tr.wou.edu/perc/documents/indirectlanguagestimulation.pdf • Hart, B. & Risley, T. (2003, Spring). The early catastrophe: The 30 million word gap by age 3. American Educator,.8. • Helman, L. A. (2005). Spanish speakers learning to read in English: What a large-scale assessment suggests about their progress. National Reading Conference Yearbook, 211-226. • Millett, J., Atwill, K., Blanchard, J., & Gorin, J. (2008). The validity of receptive and expressive vocabulary measures with Spanish-speaking kindergarteners learning English. Reading Psychology, 29, 534-551. doi:10.1080/02702710802272014. • Morrow, L. M. (2008). Language and vocabulary development. In L. M. Morrow Literacy development in the early years: Helping children read and write (6th ed, pp. 98-116). Columbus, OH: Allyn & Bacon Publisher. • Morrow, L. M., Reuda, R., & Lapp, D. (Ed.). (2009). Handbook of research on literacy and diversity. New York, New York: Guildford Press. • National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (2000). Report of the National Reading Panel. Teaching children to read: An evidence-based assessment of the scientific research literature on reading and its implications for reading instruction: Reports of the subgroups (NIH Publication No. 00-4754). Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office. • Nelson, K. E., Welsh, J., Camarata, S. M., Butkovsky, L., & Camarata, M. (l996). Effects of imitative and conversational recasting treatment on the acquisition of grammar in children with specific language impairment and younger language normal children. Journal of Speech and Hearing Research, 39, 850-859. • Snow, C. (l983). In Literacy and language: Relationships during the preschool years. In Manami, M. & Kennedy, B. P. (l998). Language issues in literacy and bilingual/multicultural education (pp. 210). Cambridge, MA: Harvard Educational Review. • Texas Head Start Association. (2013). How do I enroll my child? Retrieved from http://www.txhsa.org/Enrollment.html • U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. (2013). 2013 Poverty Guidelines. Retrieved from http://aspe.hhs.gov/poverty/13poverty.cfm • Vytosksy, L. (1933). Play and its role in the mental development of the child. Retrieved from http://www.fhcds.org/ftpimages/436/download/Play_and_Child_Development.pdf • Williams, K. T. (2007). Expressive vocabulary test manual (2nd ed.). Minneapolis, MN: Pearson.

  26. This research was conducted with funds provided to the Perkins College of Education Faculty Research Academy by the Stephen F. Austin State University Research Development Program. Conclusions expressed in this study are the researchers’ alone.

  27. Contact:Jannah W. Nerran nerranjanna@sfasu.eduHope E. Wilson hope.e.wilson@unf.eduCarol D. Abel cabel@sfasu.edu

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