Bridging the Divide: Understanding Language Beliefs and Practices among Caregivers in the Deep South to inform Culturally Responsive Interventions

Abstract

The 30 million word gap refers to the disparity in early language exposure between low socioeconomic status (SES) children and their higher SES peers; a gap that is thought to negatively impact children’s language development and future academic success. Although many early intervention approaches have proven effective in promoting language development among low SES children, they often fall short in terms of cultural responsiveness, which in turn affects caregiver buy-in. The purpose of the current study was to characterize the language beliefs and practices of caregivers in the Deep South, a region characterized by high rates of poverty, for the purpose of informing more responsive interventions that take a strengths-based approach and build on caregiver beliefs and practices. Eighty-three caregivers completed a survey examining their priorities for child development, beliefs and practices surrounding language development, and greatest perceived barriers in supporting their child. Language development and problem-solving skills were the most important aspects of child development across all caregivers. Beliefs about how language develops, which contexts caregivers most frequently engage with their children, and who children talk to most differed across racial and SES groups. Despite interventions aimed at modifying low SES caregivers’ language input, low and high SES caregivers did not perceive their own language abilities to be a challenge in supporting their child’s language development. The findings from this study highlight differences in beliefs and practices regarding child development among caregivers from diverse backgrounds, which may in turn differentially impact caregiver buy-in of early interventions.