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Emergent Literacy Interactions Between Parents of Latino Heritage and Their Preschool Children with Speech Or Language Impairments

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Emergent Literacy Interactions Between Parents of Latino Heritage and Their Preschool Children with Speech Or Language Impairments GRACE, SHERYL H., Ph.D. Emergent Literacy Interactions between Parents of Latino Heritage and their Preschool Children with Speech or Language Impairments. (2015) Directed by Dr. Belinda B. Hardin. 357 pp. 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. EMERGENT LITERACY INTERACTIONS BETWEEN PARENTS OF LATINO HERITAGE AND THEIR PRESCHOOL CHILDREN WITH SPEECH OR LANGUAGE IMPAIRMENTS by Sheryl H. Grace A Dissertation Submitted to the Faculty of the Graduate School at The University of North Carolina at Greensboro in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Doctor of Philosophy Greensboro 2015 Approved by Committee Chair © 2015 Sheryl H. Grace APPROVAL PAGE This dissertation, written by Sheryl H. Grace, has been approved by the following committee of the Faculty of The Graduate School at The University of North Carolina at Greensboro. Committee Chair Committee Members Date of Acceptance by Committee Date of Final Oral Examination ii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I would like to thank everyone who helped me in this culminating project and those who enabled me to begin my Doctoral journey four years ago. Their love, wisdom, participation, and financial support helped make this accomplishment possible. Were it not for my parents, Cathy and David Hughey and their love and support for me, I could have never begun the journey. My husband, Jim Grace, supported my choice to begin my studies in spite of my having to resign from my position, and without complaint cooked many a meal, carted our sons around, and remained a supportive and calming force for me during these last four years. I am also grateful to my sons, Ian and Joseph, for their maturity and understanding that made it possible for me to concentrate on my coursework and research. I thank my advisor, Belinda Hardin, for the countless hours and intense effort she invested in my growth as a scholar, researcher, and writer. I am also extremely grateful to my other committee members, Dr. Pamela Williamson, Dr. Maria Romero, and Dr. Jean Kang for the part they each played in strengthening the methodological, cultural, and understandability of this dissertation study. I would also like to thank Luly Beckles, Berta Andrate, Yolanda Saffo, and Stacy McElveen for helping me find participating parents, and the parents themselves for teaching me so much. Thanks again to Dr. Romero, Luly Beckles, and Carolina Guarda for the insights they provided me into Latino culture and language. iii Finally, I thank the Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP) in the U.S. Department of Education for the professional development grant they awarded to the Department of Specialized Education Services at The University of North Carolina at Greensboro which made my Doctoral studies possible. iv TABLE OF CONTENTS Page LIST OF TABLES ............................................................................................................. ix LIST OF FIGURES .............................................................................................................x CHAPTER I. INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................1 Rationale for Study ......................................................................................1 Research Problem ........................................................................................4 Purpose of Study ..........................................................................................5 Positionality .................................................................................................5 Organization of this Dissertation Report .....................................................9 II. LITERATURE REVIEW ...................................................................................10 Theoretical Framework ..............................................................................10 Vygotsky and Sociocultural/Sociohistorical Theory .....................11 Shieffelin and Ochs’s Language/Literacy Socialization Theory .......................................................................................15 Sociocultural/Language Socialization Framework ........................17 Literature Search Process ...............................................................19 Emergent Literacy Environments and Interactions ....................................21 Emergent Literacy Environments ..................................................24 Introduction to Emergent Literacy Interactions .............................26 Types of Emergent Literacy Interactions .......................................26 Print Based Interactions .................................................................27 Direct Literacy Teaching ...............................................................34 Importance of Parent Literacy Teaching........................................35 Direct Literacy Teaching in Latino Families .................................36 Direct Literacy Teaching by Parents of Children with Speech or Language Impairments .....................................38 Direct Literacy Teaching by Parents who are Latino and Have Children with Speech or Language Impairments ...............................................................................39 Conversation-Based Interactions ...................................................40 Language Teaching Interactions ....................................................46 Influences of Emergent Literacy Interactions ............................................50 Sociocultural and Language Socialization Factors ........................51 v Socioeconomic Status and Material Resources .............................54 Mother’s Education Level..............................................................56 Parent Education Experiences .......................................................58 Mothers’ Philosophy of Reading Education ..................................58 Child Factors ..................................................................................59 Influences of Interactions between Parents and Children with Speech or Language Impairments .......................60 Influences of Emergent Literacy Interactions among Latino Parents .............................................................................61 Influences among Parents who are Latino and have a Child with Speech or Language Impairments ............................68 Summary ....................................................................................................71 Summary of Interactions ................................................................72 Summary of Influences ..................................................................74 Conceptual Framework ..............................................................................76 Conclusion .................................................................................................76 III. METHODOLOGY .............................................................................................79 Chapter Overview ......................................................................................79 Research Design.........................................................................................80 Unit of Analysis .............................................................................82
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