Supporting vocabulary development in a culturally/linguistically diverse family

• Published in: Journal of early childhood literacy Vol. 23; no. 3; pp. 427 - 444
• Main Authors: Anderson, Ann, Anderson, Jim
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: London, England SAGE Publications 01.09.2023; Sage Publications Ltd
• Subjects: Academic Achievement; At Risk Persons; Children; Concept Formation; English (Second Language); English as a second language learning; English language learners; Families & family life; Family Literacy; Fathers; Illustrations; Immigrants; Language Acquisition; Literacy; Literacy Education; Nonverbal Communication; Parent Child Relationship; Parent Role; Pointing; Preschool Children; Prior Learning; Reading achievement; Second Language Learning; Second language vocabulary learning; Shared reading; Story Reading; Verbal Communication; Vocabulary Development; Word meaning; story book interactions; language development; Bilingual children; family literacy practices; extra-textual talk
• ISSN: 1468-7984; 1741-2919
• DOI: 10.1177/1468798421995533

Educators and researchers consider vocabulary development foundational in young children’s language and literacy learning and for academic achievement; adult-child shared book reading is potentially a rich site for word learning and concept development. In this article, we report on how an immigrant father and his four year old daughter, English Language Learners living in a community identified as “vulnerable”, attended to words and their meanings in two shared reading sessions. Results indicate the father enacted a number of strategies including: verbal explanations; providing verbal explanations and pointing to the relevant illustration; referencing the child’s previous experiences; and using demonstration and gesture. The findings challenge some of the assumptions about immigrant families and families living in “vulnerable” communities, as well as the role of fathers in young children’s language and literacy development.