Supporting dual language learners in Head Start: teacher beliefs about teaching priorities and strategies to facilitate English language acquisition

Jacoby, Jennifer Wallace; Lesaux, Nonie K.

doi:10.1080/10901027.2018.1529006

Cited by 16 publications

(23 citation statements)

References 26 publications

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“…As most learners in Macau kindergartens are from age three to five, they may be too young for the teaching of reading and writing skills (Teale & Yokota, 2000). Jacoby and Lesaux (2019) reported experienced in-service teachers held similar beliefs about combining pedagogical, child development, and professional practice knowledge to facilitate a natural and seamless English language acquisition process for young learners. It is notable that the experienced teachers in Jacoby and Lesaux with an average of 7 years of teaching experience held similar beliefs to the participants in the current study who had not previously attended any courses related to teaching EFL to very young learners.…”

Section: Beliefs About Teaching and Subjectmentioning

confidence: 94%

“…EFL teachers of very young learners often draw on their knowledge and experience in early childhood education and child development and incorporate them into their EFL instruction. For example, Jacoby and Lesaux (2019) found experienced in-service teachers of pre-primary ESL students (3-5 years old) strongly believed that the essential factor for learning was providing appropriate support in their students' developing social-emotional skills. Jacoby and Lesaux also reported that ECE teachers believed learning English occurs naturally with young learners as a result of the classroom environment.…”

Section: Early Childhood Education English Teacher Beliefsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Jacoby and Lesaux also reported that ECE teachers believed learning English occurs naturally with young learners as a result of the classroom environment. Moreover, it has been suggested that providing support in their first language, as well as in English, is important for young EFL learners’ future language and literacy development in both languages (Garrity & Guerra, 2015; Jacoby & Lesaux, 2019; Nafissi & Shafiee, 2020).…”

Section: Literature Reviewmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In recent years, the number of studies investigating early childhood education (ECE) teachers' beliefs has been increasing; this is an important area of study, as early childhood teachers' beliefs are often different from those of primary and high-school teachers (Jacoby & Lesaux, 2019). EFL teachers of very young learners often draw on their knowledge and experience in early childhood education and child development and incorporate them into their EFL instruction.…”

Section: Early Childhood Education English Teacher Beliefsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Exploring Pre-service Pre-primary EFL Teacher Beliefs about Teaching English to Very Young Learners: A Macau Case Study

et al. 2021

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Research on the beliefs of pre-service and in-service English teachers at the primary, secondary, and tertiary levels has provided useful knowledge to teacher education curriculum designers. However, the beliefs of pre-service pre-primary English as a foreign language (EFL) teachers have not been addressed. Thus, a case study was conducted in one pre-primary education program at a public university in the Macau Special Administrative Region of China. Data was collected by providing participants ( N = 63) a writing prompt aimed at gathering their beliefs about the teaching and learning of English in the pre-primary context. Qualitative content analysis was used to analyze these written reflection reports of third-year pre-service pre-primary English teachers with the aim of uncovering their beliefs about teaching and learning EFL. Results showed the participants held beliefs about classroom practice, EFL learners and learning, pedagogical knowledge, teaching, content, goals of language teaching, the role of teaching, subject, schooling, hearsay, self, learning to teach, and the teacher education program. Most participants mentioned their beliefs about classroom practice, EFL learners and learning, and pedagogical knowledge, while very few participants wrote about self, learning to teach, or the teacher education program. While many of the beliefs held by the participants were found to be substantiated by early childhood education research, some unfounded beliefs were also uncovered. The results highlighted a need for curriculum designers to reconsider the education program’s ability to meet the needs of the pre-service teachers. Participants required additional training in English content knowledge, use as a medium of instruction, and pronunciation. The polarized view of teaching the mother tongue and EFL should be reconsidered in light of the current views on bilingualism and bilingual education.

show abstract

Section: Beliefs About Teaching and Subjectmentioning

confidence: 94%

Section: Early Childhood Education English Teacher Beliefsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Literature Reviewmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Early Childhood Education English Teacher Beliefsmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

Exploring Pre-service Pre-primary EFL Teacher Beliefs about Teaching English to Very Young Learners: A Macau Case Study

et al. 2021

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“…Of the enrollment of children in Head Start 30% are dual language learners, of those 80% are Spanish speaking (Lewis el al., 2016). More than 86% of the Head Start programs in the United States serve dual language learners (Jacoby & Lesaux, 2019). Harrison and Lakin (2018) noted, analyzing teachers' beliefs about instructing dual language learners is important in improving teacher preparedness and efficacy.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Challenges Head Start Teachers Face with Dual Language Learners

Andriaschko¹,

Panesar-Aguilar²,

Cale³

et al. 2021

ELSR

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In the Midwestern state, there are 164,000 of the 1,064,000 children enrolled in Head Start programs are dual language learners. Although the number of dual language learners is increasing in the United States, there is a gap in educational practice about challenges Head Start teachers and education coordinators face in working with this population. An exploration of Head Start teachers’ and education coordinators’ perspectives regarding the support teachers need to meet the challenges working with dual language learners is presented. This study was grounded in Jim Cummins’s language acquisition framework, which suggests that dual language learners’ benefit from instruction in their native language and the language of the classroom. A basic qualitative study design was used with a purposeful sample of 8 Head Start teachers, 1 Head Start education coordinator, and 1 Head Start site manager. Using semi- structured interviews, results revealed that Head Start teachers realized they need additional support to meet the challenges of working with dual language learners. Three themes emerged from the data: (a) participants had a positive outlook on using native language both in the classroom and at home, (b) perspectives on support needed to meet the challenges of working with dual language learners varied from teacher to teacher and from teachers to education coordinators, and (c) participants had a positive outlook on teaching dual language learners while recognizing the need for support in working with these learners.

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The Influence of Teachers, Peers, and Play Materials on Dual Language Learners’ Play Interactions in Preschool

Trawick-Smith

DeLapp

Bourdon

et al. 2022

Early Childhood Educ J

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Supporting dual language learners in Head Start: teacher beliefs about teaching priorities and strategies to facilitate English language acquisition

Cited by 16 publications

References 26 publications

Exploring Pre-service Pre-primary EFL Teacher Beliefs about Teaching English to Very Young Learners: A Macau Case Study

Exploring Pre-service Pre-primary EFL Teacher Beliefs about Teaching English to Very Young Learners: A Macau Case Study

Challenges Head Start Teachers Face with Dual Language Learners

The Influence of Teachers, Peers, and Play Materials on Dual Language Learners’ Play Interactions in Preschool

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