Preschool Teachers' Language and Literacy Practices with Dual Language Learners.

Area of Science:

• Early Childhood Education
• Linguistics
• Teacher Professional Development

Background:

• Dual Language Learners (DLLs) require specific instructional strategies.
• Linguistically responsive practices are crucial for supporting DLLs' language and literacy.
• Understanding teacher factors influencing these practices is essential.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the use of linguistically responsive practices by preschool teachers for Spanish-speaking DLLs.
• To explore the relationship between teacher characteristics and the implementation of these practices.

Main Methods:

• Observational data collected on teacher practices.
• Surveys administered to teachers regarding beliefs, language proficiency, and classroom demographics.
• Sample size of 72 preschool teachers.

Main Results:

• Teachers, even Spanish-speaking ones, demonstrated limited use of linguistically responsive practices.
• Only teachers' Spanish-speaking ability showed a significant association with practice implementation.
• Few teachers utilized practices to foster DLL language and literacy development.

Conclusions:

• There is a need for enhanced professional development focused on linguistically responsive teaching for preschool DLLs.
• Targeted training can improve teachers' ability to support Spanish-speaking DLLs' language acquisition.
• Further research should investigate barriers and facilitators to implementing these vital practices.