1 overcoming poverty to construct language: differences in rural and urban head start...

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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. AbelAmerican Educational Research Association, San Francisco, CA, May, 2013

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Introduction

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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.

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Our Research

Our ideas are simple and straightforward:

One-day Training for Teachers

Integrate simple ideas in classrooms

English Language improves

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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

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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)

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“SPEAK” Strategies

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SPEAK

Seek opportunities to engage in conversation with children

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SPEAK

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

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SPEAK

Engage children in conversation by asking open-ended questions.

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SPEAK

Assist children’s language by expanding what they say.

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SPEAK

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

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Study Results

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Sample Demographics

633 participants

Head Start

Low SES

Equal Male and Female

Equal Intervention and Comparison

More Rural than Urban

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Descriptive Statistics

3-5 year olds

Pre Scores more than 1 SD from national means

Significant growth across sample

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Treatment & Comparison

Comparison sample slightly older

No differences in pre scores

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Rural & Urban Samples

Rural sample slightly older

Urban children lower EVT and PPVT scores prior to intervention

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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

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Receptive Language

No significant effects

All groups had significant improvements

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Implications

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Language Intervention is crucial to

language developmen

t.

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Language Intervention

was effective in improving expressive language.

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Language Intervention was equally effective for

rural and urban

contexts.

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Head Start is effective

in developing language in

children.

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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.

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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.

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Contact:

Jannah W. Nerrannerranjanna@sfasu.eduHope E. Wilsonhope.e.wilson@unf.eduCarol D. Abelcabel@sfasu.edu