Teacher and peer support of lone speakers of home languages other than English attending early childhood centres

Abstract

This study investigated the English language learning experiences of 12 children who were lone speakers of home languages other than English attending three English medium early childhood centres [ECCs] with different philosophies, programmes, and practices: a sessional kindergarten, and two all day care centres. The study focused on the interpersonal environments of the centres; specifically the participants 'interactions with teachers and peers, and how these were influenced by differences in aspects of the centres' temporal environments including the organisation and nature of free play activities, mat times, and lunch times. The longitudinal, mixed method design of the study incorporated observations, teacher and parental questionnaires, and the British Picture Vocabulary Scale [BPVS], a measure of the participants' receptive English language progress. Six observations of each participant over a nine month period provided a series of snap shots of the participants' productive language and language acquisition opportunities at the centres. Audio recordings and observer field notes provided data on the frequency and nature of interactions between the participants and their teachers and peers. The results showed that the participants at the sessional kindergarten participated in a greater frequency of extended reciprocal interactions with their teachers and more frequent interactions with peers than the participants at the day care centres. These interactions appeared to provide the kindergarten participants with more English language acquisition opportunities. Moreover, the kindergarten participants made greater progress on average, in receptive English language acquisition as shown by the BPVS results, and demonstrated greater English productive language abilities than the day care participants. The study findings suggest that differences in early childhood centres 'temporal environments influence the centres' interpersonal environments, and thus the English as a second language learners' English language acquisition opportunities. This thesis makes some tentative recommendations for practice and policy to help teachers to provide more optimal English language acquisition support for lone speakers of home languages other than English acquiring English at ECCs.