Longitudinal Referencing and Story Coherence Development in the English Narratives of Spanish-English Emergent Bilinguals

• In Event: Marriott Roundtable Session 6
  In Roundtable Session: Cross-Linguistic Analyses of Language and Literacy Development

Abstract

In this longitudinal exploratory study, we investigated how heritage Spanish-speaking emergent bilinguals (n = 13) used referential forms to orally retell English stories (Frog, where are you? or Frog goes to dinner) at kindergarten and second grade, with a focus on the forms they used to switch or maintain reference to potential thematic protagonists. In addition, we considered how this referencing behavior developed in relation to the overall structuring of coherent stories. Findings suggest that as children got older, they used referential forms in more sophisticated ways. They also told more complex and better structured stories in second grade than they did in kindergarten.

Authors

• Audrey Lucero, University of Oregon

• Kevin Donley, University of Oregon