English language learners' writing behaviours during literacy-enriched block play

Abstract

Despite the rising number of linguistically diverse students in countries where English is the primary medium of instruction in schools, there is a relative lack of research on how these students learn to write in English and respond to common classroom literacy practices. One practice found in early childhood classrooms is literacy-enriched play, but little research explores how young English language learners respond to this particular intervention. This exploratory study examines three linguistically diverse kindergarten students' use of writing materials in a literacy-enriched block centre in their classroom. Observational notes and writing samples produced by the students during block play were analyzed to determine the frequency and variety of their writing behaviours. The results indicated that all the students, regardless of language background, incorporated drawing and writing into their block play with similar frequency, although they sometimes used different writing strategies. These findings indicated that literacyenriched centres can provide linguistically diverse students with meaningful opportunities to practice writing.

The Impact of Individual Differences, Types of Model and Social Settings on Block Building Performance among Chinese Preschoolers

“…Boys performed better than girls in block building skills and structural balance, consistent with studies showing that boys are significantly more likely than girls to engage in block building activities ( Rubin, 1977 ), and they choose to play in the block area more often than girls ( Snow et al, 2016 ). This finding contradicts other research suggesting a lack of gender differences ( Moyer and Gilmer, 1956 ; Hanline et al, 2001 ).…”

“…Early work in younger children samples suggested that more boys play with blocks than girls, boys spend more time in the block area ( Farrell, 1957 ), and girls are more interested in non-block activities compared with boys ( Margolin et al, 1961 ). More recent studies (e.g., Caldera et al, 1999 ; Snow et al, 2016 ) have obtained inconsistent results with regard to gender differences in children’s preference for block building. Importantly for the current study, these studies focused on preference rather than process.…”

Storytelling through block play: imagining identities and creative citizenship

“…Pickett, 1998;Wellhousen and Giles, 2005). In more recent studies, Snow et al (2015Snow et al ( , 2018 demonstrated in literacy-enriched block centres that English-language learners can combine block play, drawing and writing behaviour (e.g. name writing, phonetic spelling and scribbling) to create authentic narratives.…”

K-12 ESL Writing Instruction: A Review of Research on Pedagogical Challenges and Strategies

“…Through the functions of apologizing, praising, joking, and exchanging feedback, Diany used blogging, sometimes subtly and at other times overtly, to experiment with the functional aspects of language. Snow et al (2016) focused on kindergarten students (three children in a mixed group with two ESL and one American) engaging in literacy-enriched play, whereby children were provided opportunities for literacy development through play, and how it affected the children's emerging writing development and their writing behaviors. Using blocks during literacy-enriched play, the researchers found that the children drew pictures of different characters to use in their block games.…”