Preschool Teachers' Perceptions of Shared Book-Reading Strategies That Promote Content Vocabulary Learning in Dual Language Learner Children

• In Event: 14.020 - Integrating Science and Literacy Instruction: The Effects of Knowledge-Building Supports on Student Learning

Abstract

As children learn to use more words, they learn more about the world around them and become better prepared to participate in academic discussions, discuss life experiences, and comprehend text in later school years (Catts, Fey, Zhang, & Tomblin, 1999; Hart & Risley, 1995; Hirsch, 2006). In preschool settings, reading books is an instructional approach that historically has been used to promote young children’s oral vocabulary learning (August & Shanahan, 2006). There is some evidence that interactive shared book reading styles that integrate intentional book discussions (e.g., extending children’s oral responses to open-ended questions about a story ) around varied text genres (informational texts + storybooks) may accelerate both content vocabulary learning (liquid, solid, melt) and world knowledge (e.g., science concepts) (Collins, 2010; Gonzalez, Pollard-Durodola, Simons, Taylor, Davis, et. Al., 2011; Leung, 2008; Neuman & Dwyer, 2011).

This paper provides a summary of 23 preschool teachers’ beliefs about the effectiveness and importance of an evidence based content-related shared book reading intervention that was implemented with 138 Spanish-speaking preschool DLLs who participated in 20 minutes of daily content-rich shared book reading instruction for 18 weeks in high poverty school settings. Children were exposed to explicit and distributed vocabulary instruction (before, during, after book reading) via thematically (science, social studies) paired storybooks and information texts with instruction that targeted 59 science and 35 social studies related words using visuals (picture/concept cards, theme posters) and ESL scaffolding. Words selected were related to important science /social studies concepts, depicted in and outside of the book (photographs from varied sources), and were semantically related to create networks of knowledge that would be important for future academic learning. The social validity measure is a researcher-developed questionnaire that allowed teachers to use a 6-point Likert scale (ranging from Completely Disagree to Strongly Agree) to rate their Perceptions of General Intervention Effectiveness and Feasibility (e.g., improvement of students’ vocabulary or world knowledge, increase in students’ engagement during shared reading.) and the Importance and Use of Specific Intervention Components (e.g., picture/concept cards, thematic organizational structure).

Preliminary data analyses indicate positive preschool teacher ratings of specific shared book reading strategies (e.g. use of multiple exposures, varied text genre, rereading of texts) and significant correlations between teacher reports on the social validity of the content shared book reading intervention and DLL children's language outcomes. Twenty-five items across two sub-scales measuring both teachers' reports of the effectiveness of the intervention and the importance of the specific instructional components were positively and significantly correlated across both standardized and researcher developed measures of DLL children's expressive and receptive language abilities. Further analyses are warranted in examining the relationship between measures of DLL children's oral language outcomes and preschool teacher reports of feasibility for the content related book reading intervention. Implications for practice will be discussed.

Authors

• Sharolyn D. Pollard-Durodola, University of Nevada Las Vegas

• Jorge E. Gonzalez, Texas A&M University - College Station

• Laura Saenz, The University of Texas - Pan American

• Heather Davis, Texas A&M University - College Station