Teachers' Language Use in Multilingual Head Start Classrooms: Implications for Dual Language Learners

Area of Science:

• Early Childhood Education
• Linguistics
• Psychology

Background:

• Dual language learners (DLLs) are influenced by teacher language in early childhood settings.
• Understanding teacher language practices is crucial for supporting DLLs' linguistic development.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate teachers' language use characteristics in preschools serving Chinese-English and Spanish-English DLLs.
• To examine the relationship between teachers' language use and DLLs' expressive vocabulary in English and heritage languages (HL).
• To explore teachers' perspectives on their language practices and strategies for HL maintenance.

Main Methods:

• Mixed methods study involving 53 teachers and 190 DLLs (Chinese-English and Spanish-English) in Northern California preschools.
• Teacher surveys on language use, analysis of children's vocabulary (English and HL), and teacher interviews.
• Statistical models controlled for family-level factors and home language exposure.

Main Results:

• Most teachers were multilingual and used a mix of English and their HL.
• Teachers' language use did not directly predict children's vocabulary, but more experienced teachers had children with higher HL vocabulary.
• Interviews revealed teachers use diverse strategies to support DLLs and HL maintenance.

Conclusions:

• Preschool teachers possess rich multilingual backgrounds and employ varied language strategies.
• Teacher experience, rather than specific language use patterns, may be linked to heritage language development.
• Further research is needed on the quality and development of teachers' language practices for DLLs.