ERIC Number: EJ1232710
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2019
Pages: 25
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1082-4669
EISSN: N/A
Available Date: N/A
Teacher Accommodation of Academic Language during Head Start Pre-Kindergarten Read-Alouds
Journal of Education for Students Placed at Risk, v24 n4 p369-393 2019
Little analytical scrutiny has been devoted to teacher accommodation of academic language at the early childhood level, despite being a critical school-level factor to consider when addressing at-risk learners' academic needs. The present study investigates how fifteen Head Start teachers support three components of academic language during whole-class read-alouds of narrative storybooks: academic vocabulary, conceptual knowledge, and complex syntax. Pairing a corpus-based analysis of linguistic features and content analyses of teachers' extratextual utterances, we describe teachers' strategies for accommodating at-risk children's early experiences with linguistically and syntactically complex texts. Our findings indicate that teachers simplified the language of the texts to accommodate student need, while also providing examples of academic talk through defining terms and providing conceptually-rich talk. Although teachers provided rich support for academic vocabulary, less accommodation was made for complex syntax. Practical and theoretical implications are addressed.
Descriptors: Academic Language, Preschool Education, Disadvantaged Youth, Syntax, Vocabulary Development, Computational Linguistics, At Risk Students, Student Needs, Oral Reading, Story Reading, Concept Formation, Content Analysis, Childrens Literature, Intervention, Classroom Communication, Preschool Teachers, Linguistic Input, Language Usage, Video Technology, Preschool Children, Scaffolding (Teaching Technique), Teaching Methods, African Americans, Minority Group Teachers, Intelligence Tests, Verbal Ability, Vocabulary
Routledge. Available from: Taylor & Francis, Ltd. 530 Walnut Street Suite 850, Philadelphia, PA 19106. Tel: 800-354-1420; Tel: 215-625-8900; Fax: 215-207-0050; Web site: http://www.tandf.co.uk/journals
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Early Childhood Education; Preschool Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: Department of Education (ED); Institute of Education Sciences (ED)
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Assessments and Surveys: Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test
IES Funded: Yes
Grant or Contract Numbers: R324E060088
Author Affiliations: N/A