Abstract
Abstract This study was a naturalistic investigation of social interaction among Spanish-speaking, Mexican American 4-year-olds and English-speaking, African-American 4-year-olds in a Head Start center. Data were collected over a 7-month period using participant observation, interviews, and audio and video recordings of the children in a variety of classroom and playground settings. The purpose of the research was to provide a detailed description of a bilingual, bicultural preschool setting and a theoretical analysis of the children’s interactional behavior. The principal questions addressed were how well the setting provided for peer social interaction and whether that social interaction facilitated the acquisition of English by the Spanish speakers. The setting was shown to provide little opportunity for peer social interaction, because of the manner in which the center’s routines and activities were organized. This, combined with the children’s language differences and their limited interactional skil...
Published Version
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