Relations Among the Home Language and Literacy Environment and Children's Language Abilities: A Study of Head Start Dual Language Learners and Their Mothers

• Published in: Early education and development Vol. 27; no. 4; pp. 478 - 494
• Main Authors: Lewis, Kandia, Sandilos, Lia E., Hammer, Carol Scheffner, Sawyer, Brook E., Méndez, Lucía I.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Routledge 18.05.2016; Taylor & Francis Ltd
• Subjects: Achievement Tests; At Risk Students; Bilingual Students; Children & youth; Disadvantaged Youth; English; English (Second Language); English language; Family Environment; Language Proficiency; Language Skills; Language Usage; Literacy; Mothers; Oral Language; Parent Influence; Pennsylvania; Predictor Variables; Preschool Children; Questionnaires; Reading Habits; Second Language Learning; Spanish Speaking; Statistical Analysis; Story Telling; Surveys; Urban Areas; Vocabulary development; Woodcock Johnson Tests of Achievement; Woodcock Munoz Language Survey; Pennsylvania
• ISSN: 1040-9289; 1556-6935
• DOI: 10.1080/10409289.2016.1082820

Research Findings: This study explored the relations between Spanish-English dual language learner (DLL) children's home language and literacy experiences and their expressive vocabulary and oral comprehension abilities in Spanish and in English. Data from Spanish-English mothers of 93 preschool-age Head Start children who resided in central Pennsylvania were analyzed. Children completed the Picture Vocabulary and Oral Comprehension subtests of the Batería III Woodcock-Muñoz and the Woodcock-Johnson III Tests of Achievement. Results revealed that the language spoken by mothers and children and the frequency of mother-child reading at home influenced children's Spanish language abilities. In addition, the frequency with which children told a story was positively related to children's performance on English oral language measures. Practice or Policy: The findings suggest that language and literacy experiences at home have a differential impact on DLLs' language abilities in their 2 languages. Specific components of the home environment that benefit and support DLL children's language abilities are discussed.