Emergent literacy interactions between parents of Latino heritage and their preschool children with speech or language impairments

UNCG Author/Contributor (non-UNCG co-authors, if there are any, appear on document)
Sheryl H. Grace (Creator)
Institution
The University of North Carolina at Greensboro (UNCG )
Web Site: http://library.uncg.edu/
Advisor
Belinda Hardin

Abstract: The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore how six parent-child dyads of Latino heritage including preschool children who have with speech or language disabilities engage in language and pre-literacy interactions, and what factors may influence these interactions. Because sociocultural factors influence emergent literacy interactions that take place between parents and children in families, the home environment was the context of this case study (Rossman & Rallis, 1998; Zentella, 2005). The dyads participating in this study lived in two counties in the Piedmont region of North Carolina. Purposive sampling was used to locate the participants. A multiple case study was in order to gain an in-depth look at each family's emergent literacy interactions, not simply a picture of their frequency. Each dyad participated for five weeks. Observation notes, transcripts of audio and video recordings, and interview transcripts were coded using ATLAS.ti and a coding scheme that blended Miles and Huberman's (1994) multilevel descriptive coding with the technique called Noticing things, collecting things, and thinking about things (NCT) from Friese (2014). Both within and across case analysis was conducted to understand how the participating dyads engaged in emergent literacy interactions and what parent, child, and cultural factors might influence these interactions. Results indicated that conversation was the most common emergent literacy interaction type, with most conversations embedded in children's normal routines and containing many directives. Language teaching was also common, especially relating to naming and labeling objects. Print-based interactions were usually in the context of storybook sharing. Literacy teaching, present in four of the dyads, focused on letter names, writing, and often Spanish vowel sounds. Parents reported that their ideas about language and literacy development and teaching influenced their emergent literacy interactions, as well as their culture and their children's speech and language abilities. The results of this study support the use of strength-based observation in the home to see and build upon families' emergent literacy funds of knowledge, and the incorporation of children's native language into speech or language assessment and service delivery.

Additional Information

Publication
Dissertation
Language: English
Date: 2015
Keywords
Hispanics, Home Visits, In-Home Observation, Latino Parents, Multiple Case Study, Speech or Language Impairments
Subjects
Language acquisition $x Parent participation
Hispanic American children $x Language
Communicative disorders in children $x Patients $x Family relationships

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