Home Language Research Articles

The happy learner: Effects of academic boredom, burnout, and engagement.

This study aimed to investigate the impact of demographic and contextual variables on boredom in English and mathematics, and to test structural models of boredom, learner burnout, learner engagement, and life satisfaction. Using a cross-sectional survey design and employing a convenience sampling technique, 544 secondary school learners in the Sedibeng District, Gauteng, South Africa, took part in the study. The participants completed the Achievement Emotions Questionnaire - English, the Achievement Emotions Questionnaire - Mathematics, the Schoolwork Engagement Inventory, the School Burnout Inventory, and the Satisfaction with Life Scale. Latent variable modeling was used to test measurement and structural models of boredom, burnout, engagement, and life satisfaction. The indirect effects of boredom on life satisfaction were also computed. The results showed that Afrikaans as the home language, the final mark for English in the previous examination, caregivers that cannot help with English homework, and disliking the English teacher predicted boredom in English. Afrikaans as the home language, marks for mathematics in the previous examination, not having the ability to focus on schoolwork at home, and disliking the mathematics teacher predicted boredom in mathematics. Boredom in mathematics and English resulted in an increase in learner burnout and a decrease in learner engagement. Furthermore, boredom in mathematics and English indirectly affected life satisfaction via learner burnout and engagement.

Exploring the use of assessment for learning in the mathematics classroom

Assessment for Learning is useful in producing feedback that mathematics teachers may utilise to enhance classroom teaching. In this study, we look at how mathematics teachers in Alexandra Township, South Africa, utilise assessment for learning (AfL) to create a classroom culture that responds to learners' knowledge acquisition. This study used a qualitative technique within an interpretivist paradigm and a case study design. We purposively selected nine Grade 6 primary school mathematics teachers. Data, collected through face-to-face semi-structured interviews, non-participant classroom observation, and documents, was analysed using qualitative data analysis. Results revealed, first, that the participants understand AfL as those activities given in class at the end of the lesson to measure learner understanding. Second, data revealed that the participants depend on textbooks for AfL activities that do not always take learners' contexts into account. Finally, the study revealed AfL challenges because teachers teach mathematics in a language other than the learners' home language. We recommend that in-service teachers attend several assessment developmental workshops to help them focus on pedagogical practices that will improve AfL implementation.

Differential impact of COVID-19 school closures on immigrant students: A transnational comparison

IntroductionThe COVID-19 pandemic had a major impact on many aspects of life, perhaps most notably education. Efforts to mitigate the negative effects of the pandemic, particularly lockdowns, led to major disruptions in schools and resulted in both learning loss and increased mental health challenges for students. These deleterious impacts appear to have been felt most keenly by students from marginalized communities, including first and second generation students.Materials and methodsThis study sought to investigate the mechanisms underlying these negative effects of pandemic mitigation efforts, particularly in terms of school efforts to support teachers and parents of students not speaking the language of instruction for three nations (Denmark, Russia, and Slovenia) included in the Responses to Educational Disruption Survey (REDS) survey.ResultsResults of the study revelated that in Denmark greater school-level support to teachers of non-native language students moderated the relationship between home language status and student perceptions of their relative academic performance before and during the pandemic, but that such was not the case in Russia or Slovenia. Likewise, school-level support to teachers moderated the relationship between home language status and perceived teacher support in Denmark but not in Russia or Slovenia. Implications of these results are discussed.

Parents' planning, children's agency and heritage language education: Re-storying the language experiences of three Chinese immigrant families in Australia.

This study delves into the heritage language experiences of Australian-born Chinese immigrant children under the framework of family language policy. Storytelling as a narrative inquiry method is used to reveal the lived experiences of the protagonists in relation to heritage language and culture. The three family stories involved for case studies reveal different levels of parent agency in Chinese immigrant families regarding their children's home language use and heritage language education. It is noted that the level of child agency corresponds with the level of their parent agency. Where parents strongly advocate and practice heritage language maintenance, stronger agency is observed in their children to continue the use and learning of their heritage language. In addition, maintaining harmony while parents are implementing family language policies and providing children with formal instruction in heritage language are conducive to heritage language development, particularly in terms of its literacy.

Formative interventions for science teachers’ expansive learning and practices with multilingual learners: A case study from Lebanon

ABSTRACT This paper illustrates utilising cultural historical activity theory (CHAT) and the methodology of formative intervention as a responsive capacity-building framework for enhancing science teachers’ professional development and system-level capacity in multilingual settings. We report findings from the initial Change Laboratory (CL) meetings of an ongoing formative intervention project with two schools. CL meetings are explored as ‘dialogic’ spaces for teachers, teacher-leaders and researchers to explore research-based notions alongside practical knowledge for transformative professional development that upholds teacher agency and leverages multilingual students’ diverse resources. Data included meeting transcripts, classroom observations, researcher notes and classroom artefacts. Results showed that higher levels of dialogic struggle around the role of language in teaching and learning science allowed one school’s participants to challenge deficit orientations that allot the home language a lower status and to begin adopting more linguistically responsive practices to enhance their diverse students’ science learning. We discuss the differences between the two schools through the notion of ‘boundary-crossing.’

Development of the Reading Comprehension Strategies Questionnaire (RCSQ) for late elementary school students.

Late elementary education constitutes a critical period in the development of reading comprehension strategies, a key competence in today's society. However, to date, appropriate measurements to map late elementary students' reading strategies are lacking. In this respect, the present article first describes the development and validation of the 26-item reading comprehension strategies questionnaire (RCSQ). To this aim, exploratory (sample 1: n = 1585 students) and confirmatory (sample 2: n = 1585 students) factor analyses were conducted. These analyses resulted in the RCSQ, consisting of five subscales: (1) overt cognitive reading strategies, (2) covert cognitive reading strategies, (3) monitoring, and (4) evaluating. For non-native and bilingual students, a fifth subscale 'using home language in view of comprehending texts' emerged. Second, multilevel analyses were performed to explore individual differences in late elementary students' reading comprehension strategy use. Implications for practice and future research are discussed.

How does the family environment affect toddlerhood language and cognitive development? Evidence from peri-urban China

Research suggests that elements of the family environment may have significant associations with cognitive and language development outcomes. Less is known, however, about the family environment in peri-urban China, where rates of cognitive and language delay in children aged 0-3 years are as high as 51% and 54%, respectively. Using data collected from 81 peri-urban households with toddlers aged 18-24 months in Southwestern China, this study examines the associations between stimulating parenting practices, the home language environment, and parental self-efficacy, with cognitive and language development. The results indicate that stimulating parenting practices was significantly associated with cognitive development, the home language environment was significantly associated with language development, and parental self-efficacy was significantly associated with cognitive development. The implications of such findings reveal several mechanisms for supporting healthy cognitive and language development among toddlers from peri-urban China.

A comparative study of National Senior Certificate summative assessments of poetry for four South African official languages at Home Language proficiency

Over the centuries, summative assessment has entrenched itself as a powerful socio-political and educational tool for determining success, or a lack thereof, and is thus critical for shaping a learner’s life. This was particularly prevalent during the apartheid era in South Africa when racially differentiated curricula were crafted. This led to severely dysfunctional assessment practices. However, in recognition of the diversity of the nation, with its 11 official languages, and in an attempt to afford all languages equal status, at its inception in 2009, the Department of Basic Education (DBE) established a common language curriculum and guidelines for the high-stakes Grade 12 National Senior Certificate (NSC) examination. This so-called ‘equality’, however, is scrutinised in this paper, with specific reference to the assessment of poetry, a literary genre that is generally thought to be cognitively demanding. This paper investigates the similarities and dissimilarities in the Grade 12 NSC summative examination practices of four selected dominant languages studied at the Home Language (HL) level of proficiency, i.e., English HL, Afrikaans HL, isiZulu HL and Sesotho HL. Drawing on Moodley’s (2018) skills-specific knowledge for validity in the assessment of poetry, Barrett’s Taxonomy of Reading Comprehension for cognitive levels, and Umalusi’s (Council for Quality Assurance in General and Further Education and Training) criteria for determining the comparability of NSC examination papers, this paper analyses the poetry component of Paper 2 (Literature) from three sets of examinations: October/November 2019, 2020 and 2021. The paper concludes on the degree of comparability and incomparability among the four languages regarding structural and technical presentation; mark allocation and cognitive weighting; cognitive levels and scaffolding of questions; instructional verbs and degree of difficulty; validity; and the washback effect.

Foundation Phase Teachers’ Experiences with Teaching Xhosa Home Language to Baca-Speaking Learners in Umzimkhulu

Native speakers’ learning of dialects is often hampered where a standard language is used. Most learners in Umzimkhulu are members of the Baca people, who use Baca as a home language. Baca is regarded as a dialect of Xhosa, which is the only subject for learners to choose as a home language. The study investigated teachers’ experiences in teaching Xhosa as a home language to Baca-speaking learners from Umzimkhulu. Semi-structured interviews were administered to eight Foundation Phase Xhosa teachers who were purposively selected from three schools. A qualitative case study design was used. The theoretical framework for the study was sociocultural theory, and content analysis was used to analyse the data. The findings showed that learners’ conceptualisation of and expression in Xhosa was not up to standard. The authors propose that the government revisit the issue of learners who speak dialects but have to take standard languages as a home language in schools.

Food, work and sensuous materiality: Immigrant Muslim women living in Fordsburg, Johannesburg

abstract In this article food and food practices are used as a lens to access the narratives of identity constructed by immigrant Muslim women living in Fordsburg, Johannesburg, an urban space renowned for its many eating places and street food culture. Fordsburg, affectionately known as ‘Foodsburg’ to locals, has played host to diverse communities in its history who have left their influence in numerous ways. The reciprocal impact of person on place and place on person is highlighted through this purposeful selection of Fordsburg as a geographic site of enquiry. Sensory experiences were shared by participants, both positive – the smells of familiar food, the sights of familiar ingredients, the sounds of home language, and negative − the lack of taste and texture in some ingredients, among others. The research collected a number of narratives that weave together everyday practices of food and culture, including purchasing, preparation and consumption across time and place. The voices of the participants highlight the sensuous relationship to food of immigrant women in re-making home in Fordsburg and through re-membering the places that resonate with belonging.

Merging English Home Language and First Additional Language curricula: Implications for future quality assurance practices

South Africa has a uniquely differentiated English curriculum in a bid to cater for diverse proficiency levels prevalent among its learner population. While this stride made sense in a population with one of the highest inequalities in the world, it is equally important to reflect on whether the differentiated systems do serve the purpose of equal access in relation to the quality of provision. Surprisingly, very little research has been carried out to validate the merits of this curriculum and assessment differentiation to date. In this paper, I report on Umalusi’s commissioned study on English curriculum benchmarking with three countries: Kenya, Singapore and Canada. This four-country case analysis focuses on curriculum goals and the depth and breadth of English Home Language (EHL) and English First Additional Language (EFAL). The results of the analysis show that the objectives of EFAL and EHL are largely similar and that both compare favourably with these subjects taught in the three other countries under investigation. However, framing the study within theories of language acquisition and language variation, I argue that the EFAL/EHL differentiation at both curriculum and assessment levels is unmerited and serves the opposite intent: deepening inequalities and access to the English language. In the end, useful recommendations for repackaging an assessment of English into one that takes account of its diverse learner population are advanced and further research opportunities are highlighted.

Supplemental Material for Language and Literacy Trajectories for Dual Language Learners (DLLs) With Different Home Languages: Linguistic Distance and Implications for Practice

Supplemental Material for Language and Literacy Trajectories for Dual Language Learners (DLLs) With Different Home Languages: Linguistic Distance and Implications for Practice

Measuring preschool children's engagement behaviors during classroom shared reading: Construct and concurrent validity of the shared reading engagement rating scale

Young children's engagement in shared reading refers to the extent of children's attention, behavioral involvement, and enjoyment during shared reading and has been treated as an indicator of reading-related motivation. In this study, we examined the Shared Reading Engagement Rating Scale, a measure of young children's engagement in classroom shared reading, and tested its validity using data collected from Head Start children (n = 263). We conducted explorative factor analysis and identified two factors, active and interactive engagement. Confirmatory factor analysis validated the proposed constructs of children's shared reading engagement. Multilevel simultaneous modeling showed that children's interactive engagement (not active engagement) significantly predicted early literacy skills in letter-word identification, picture vocabulary, sound awareness, and print awareness. The levels of shared reading engagement and their predictability of early literacy did not differ by children's gender or their home language.

Mapping spatial anomalies of ethnolinguistic dynamics in the results of the 2019 Belarus census

Using the cartographic method, the article analyzes the spatial features of the distribution of ethnolinguistic characteristics of the population of Belarus, published by the National Statistical Committee based on the results of the 2019 population census, as well as the dynamics of these characteristics for the intercensal period 2009–2019. It is shown that a significant number of indicators have pronounced distribution anomalies, which were not observed according to the results of previous censuses – a fairly strict localization of a number of phenomena within the administrative boundaries of the regions, multidirectional dynamics of the same indicator in different regions, slight changes across the republic in the indicators of the shares of Russian and Belarusian languages as native and home for the entire population, as well as for Belarusians, Russians and Ukrainians, with very significant and multidirectional changes in these shares within the administrative regions. The anomalous results were mainly related to the increase in the share of the Belarusian language as a native and home language and the decrease in the corresponding shares of the Russian language. Such results allow us to conclude that the census results were deliberately distorted in order to prevent a significant reduction in the spread of the Belarusian language, the trend of which is clearly visible in the results of the 2009 census, and to preserve Belarusian language as a symbol of national ethno-consolidation.

The Impact of the Presence of Prosodic Features (Tone Markings) on Comprehending Setswana Words in Reading

The paper is about the impact of prosodic features, more especially tone marking, in extracting the meaning in Setswana readings, because of its contribution to meaning in Setswana. The research was conducted in response to the 2016 Progress in International Reading Literacy Study (PIRLS), which found that more than 80% of Grade 4 students tested in an African Language were unable to read for comprehension. The semiotic theoretical framework, which is concerned with how signs are used for interpretation, served as the foundation for this study. The focus of the study was on the Intermediate Phase learners from eight schools where Setswana is taught as a First Additional Language and/or as a Home Language. Qualitative and quantitative method approaches were used to collect data. Participants were chosen through random sampling. The study discovered that when words are not marked, learners are unable to determine which meaning is intended. It was discovered that in reading the most difficult aspect is comprehending what has been read. The study proposes that new means of emphasizing prosodic markers (such as tones, accent, stress, and rhythm) be given special focus in the South African education system so that learners may be able to extract meaning and comprehend what they read.

Going the Distance: Disparities in Pre-K Enrollment in Higher-Quality Schools by Geographic Proximity, Race/Ethnicity, Family Income, and Home Language

This study leverages six years of public prekindergarten (pre-K) and kindergarten data (N = 22,469) from the Boston Public Schools (BPS) to examine enrollment in BPS pre-K from 2012–2017 for students from different racial/ethnic, socioeconomic, and linguistic groups. The largest differences in enrollment emerged with respect to race and ethnicity—and for enrollment in programs in higher-quality schools (defined as schools scoring in the top quartile on third-grade standardized tests)—with disparities increasing over time. Although there were no differences across groups in proximity to BPS pre-K programs in general, Black students lived about a quarter of a mile farther than their White peers from the nearest program in a higher-quality school, with gaps widening over time. Closer proximity was associated with a higher likelihood of enrollment in a program in a higher-quality school. Implications for future research and policy are discussed.

Investigating the Writing Achievement of Deaf Learners.

This study investigated writing achievement in a Canadian cohort of school-aged deaf learners (N = 64). In the current context, in which most students are educated in inclusive settings and use hearing technologies, the goal was to establish whether outcomes approach those of hearing-age peers and identify demographic factors (e.g., gender, grade, additional disability, home language, hearing loss, hearing technology, auditory perception) influencing performance. Results indicated that a high percentage of participants performed in the average range or higher on a standardized, norm-referenced assessment, the Test of Written Language-Fourth Edition (TOWL-4, Hammill & Larsen, 2009). Grade, type of hearing loss, higher auditory perception scores, and absence of an additional disability were identified as variables of significance. As auditory access continues to improve, additional investigations of writing achievement in this population will be essential to further inform educational policy and pedagogical practice.

Reliability and validity evidence for the English and Spanish preschool narrative language measures-listening

For young Spanish-speaking children entering U. S. schools, it is imperative that educators foster growth in the home language and in the language of instruction to the fullest extent possible. Monitoring language development over time is crucial for promoting language development because it allows educators to individualize student instruction. The Narrative Language Measures-Listening (NLM-Listening) subtest of the CUBED assessment was designed as a curriculum-based benchmark and progress monitoring tool for eliciting narrative language samples from preschool children in an authentic manner. In both English and Spanish, NLM-Listening includes 25 preschool alternate forms equated on story structure and language complexity. Standardized administration and real time scoring procedures enhance the NLM-Listening's reliability and feasibility. This study offers a rigorous examination of the reliability and validity evidence for using the Spanish and English NLM-Listening with preschool children. Using a Latin-square design to randomize order of administration, 126 three- to four-year-old children attending Head Start preschool received up to 25 forms of the Spanish (N = 61) or English (N = 65) versions, and two criterion measures of language in Spanish or English, respectively, within a few weeks of each other. Results indicated that the NLM-Listening has strong alternate-form reliability and strong evidence of validity based on unidimensional factor analyses and moderately high correlations with criterion measures of language. The NLM-Listening is a promising tool for monitoring preschoolers’ language development in English and Spanish.

Classroom skill compositions and preschoolers’ early academic and executive function outcomes

This study examined the links between classroom skill compositions and preschoolers’ early learning and development in the nationally representative Head Start Family and Child Experiences Survey 2014 (FACES, n = 1,711 children/207 classrooms) and public pre-K programs in a county in Virginia (n = 1,467 children/123 classrooms). Results from a series of covariate-adjusted multilevel regression models revealed that there were small within-domain associations between classmates’ skill mean and individual children’s academic and executive function skill development in FACES, but not in the Virginia data. There were no consistent associations across skill domains nor as a function of classmates skills’ heterogeneity. In addition, we found little evidence that these associations between classroom skill compositions and individual children’s development varied by children’s initial skill levels, family income, maternal education, and home language. When taken together, these findings inform the discourse on peer influences on children’s learning in early childhood.

Home language environment in relation to language outcome in Brazilian toddlers who are hard of hearing and controls with typical hearing - a pilot study including reliability analyses of the LENA recording system.

The purpose of this pilot study was to explore the home language environment and language outcome of Brazilian toddlers who were hard of hearing, (HH) and controls with typical hearing (TH), and investigate the reliability of using the LENA recording system within a Brazilian Portuguese context. Fourteen families participated in the study (seven children who were HH and seven controls with TH. Each family contributed with one all-day recording. A smaller portion of the recordings of the typically hearing toddlers were manually transcribed by two transcribers. An interrater agreement was conducted, and then the human transcript results were compared against the LENA-generated data for three measures: Adult Words (AW), Child Vocalizations (CV) and Conversational Turns (CT). Data analyses revealed a moderate to strong interrater agreement for CV and AW. Weak to moderate agreement was found between the LENA estimates and the means of the human counts for CV and AW. Seemingly, LENA overestimated human counts for AW and underestimated numbers of CV. Comparative analysis suggested similarities in the language and listening environment of the two groups (TH vs. HoH). Children's language development was supported by higher numbers of parent-child interactions (CT). The findings imply that LENA may contribute as an ecologically valid tool in preventive family-centered intervention programs for Brazilian toddlers who are hard of hearing and their families, although further validation studies are needed.