East Is East, West Is West

2006

Susanna, a young girl from a low-income Chinese immigrant family, develops her oral language proficiency quickly in Head Start and kindergarten; however, she needs more support in her reading and writing. This case study examines an unusual journey of Susanna\u27s learning to read and write in English. Observations in her home indicate a home with limited print, whereas Head Start and kindergarten provide not only print rich environment but also teachers\u27 and peers\u27 support so that she moves from an English language observer to an English language user. However, she still struggles with the use of decontextualized language. Susanna\u27s difficulties are explained from a social-cultural and psycholinguistic perspective. Instructional implications are drawn from the findings

2013

Literacy, 2001

This paper is based on the findings of two research teams, working collaboratively, between 1998 and 2000 in four countries: Australia, Singapore, France and England (see David et al 2000). Taking an ecological stance (Bronfenbrenner 1979), both teams adopted a cross-cultural approach in order to gain a better understanding of the contexts in which young children become familiar with literacy. The team led by Bridie Raban worked in Singapore and Australia, that led by Tricia David in France and England. Early years practitioners in all four countries responded to questionnaires, were observed in action and interviewed. (Information about their training and about entry to primary school in each of the countries is given in the endnote.) In addition, the research teams carried out document analyses on Governmental, research and training literature and teachers’ plans, and discussed their findings with others in positions to be able to ‘authenticate’– or refute – findings. Further data were obtained through group interviews with parents of children attending selected settings involved in the research.Here we provide some of the evidence about the different views expressed by practitioners, our observational findings and analysis of the different pressures relating to literacy experienced in early childhood education and care settings. In each case the learning experiences practitioners provided for children were influenced by a range of factors, such as the contested role of preschools as preparation for schooling. In some settings this preparation was not explicit and practitioners often emphasised the importance of the ‘here and now’ nature of young children’s experiences. Rosenthal’s (2000) framework for exploring ‘collectivist’ and ‘individualist’ cultures in relation to their valued educational practices was applied to our findings, in order to identify how the cultural assumptions about literacy, learning and young children influenced the teaching approaches selected.

2009

The proposed research forms the next phase of an ethnographic study on Singapore children’s literacy experience carried out by the principal investigator (first author). In the earlier study, currently on-going and entitled ‘Malay Children’s Lived Experience of Literacy’ (henceforth referred to as MCLEL), the focus is on Malay children. The study, started in January 2005, examines the literacy development of eight Malay children in and out of school in kindergarten and subsequently in primary one. As the research unfolds, the principal investigator becomes increasingly aware of the importance of undertaking a similar study on Chinese children given that no comparable study on these children has been done thus far. This, at the moment, is a regrettable gap, more so given the heavily socially stratified nature of this group.

1996

A longitudinal study documented the classroom experiences of 4 case study children from preschool through grade 2. The children studied were thought to be at-risk: Ani, a profoundly deaf child of hearing parents; Mark, a child of an immigrant family struggling to learn their way in a strange culture and language; and Caitlin and Ira, African-American children whose families are economically disadvantaged. On average, a day each month was spent observing the children in class. Parents and teachers were interviewed about the ways children experienced literature in their everyday school and home lives. Ani and Ira exhibit contrasting histories--Ani was the first of the 4 children to learn to read, while Ira continued to struggle in an impoverished urban school setting. Caitlin's story is one of academic success due in large part to her mother's sacrifices and continued high expectations. Mark was successfully bilingual at home and appeared to successfully learn language skills ...

2007

European Early Childhood Education Research Journal, 2011

From a sociocultural approach to literacy, young children, including culturally and linguistically diverse (CLD) children, can be viewed as active meaning-makers through participation in everyday literacy practices. This theoretical emphasis on the importance of the social context requires teachers and caregivers not only to improve and co-create learning environments but also to consider how to make sense of children's drawings and other non-verbal modes embedded in literacy practices. Drawing on a Vygotskian perspective, this study explores how young children use drawings and other semiotic tools as important mediators through which they represent their experience, feeling and knowledge in terms of the process of meaning-making. Within a qualitative research framework, this study uses data collected during the lesson theme of ‘circle’ to understand how young culturally and linguistically diverse (CLD) learners' drawings serve as a psychological tool for understanding and representing important aspects of their own experiences in terms of social, cognitive, and affective aspects. Implications of this study are discussed.RÉSUMÉ: A partir d'une approche socioculturelle de la littéracie, les jeunes enfants, incluant les enfants divers, culturellement et linguistiquement (CLD), peuvent être considérés comme des constructeurs actifs de signification grâce à la participation aux pratiques de littéracie quotidiennes. Cette insistance théorique sur l'importance du contexte social demande des enseignants et des éducateurs non seulement d'améliorer et co-créer des environnements d'apprentissage, mais encore de chercher à donner du sens aux dessins et autres modalités non-verbales présentes dans les pratiques de littéracie. Prenant appui sur une perspective vygotskienne, cette étude explore la façon dont les jeune enfants utilisent des dessins et d'autres outils sémiotiques comme médiateurs importants par lesquels ils représentent leur expérience, sentiments et connaissances, en termes de processus de construction de signification. Cette étude qualitative utilise des données recueillies pendant une leçon sur le thème du « cercle » pour comprendre comment les dessins des jeunes enfants (CLD) constituent un outil psychologique pour comprendre et représenter d'importants aspects de leurs propres expériences, sociaux, cognitifs et affectifs. Des implications de cette étude sont discutées.ZUSAMMENFASSUNG: Aus soziokultureller Sicht kann die Lese- und Schreibkompetenz von Kindern, einschließlich Kindern mit diversen kulturellen und sprachlichen Hintergründen (CLD), als Prozess der aktiven Sinn-Herstellung durch die Teilnahme an alltäglichen Lese- und Schreibübungen betrachtet werden. Dieser theoretische Schwerpunkt auf die Bedeutung des sozialen Kontextes fordert von Lehrern und Betreuern nicht nur die Verbesserung und gemeinsame Erschaffung von Lernumgebungen, sondern auch die Berücksichtigung, wie die Sinn-Herstellung kindlicher Zeichnungen und anderen Formen der nonverbalen Kommunikation in die Übungen der Lese- und Schreibkompetenz eingebettet werden können. Diese Studie untersucht aufbauend auf einer Wygotskischen Perspektive, wie junge Kinder Zeichnungen und andere semiotische Werkzeuge als wichtige Vermittler benutzen, um ihre Erfahrungen, ihre Gefühle und ihr Wissen im Rahme des Prozesses der Sinn-Herstellung auszudrücken. In einem qualitativen Forschungsrahmen verwendet diese Studie Daten, die während einer Unterrichtsstunde zum Thema, Kreis' erhoben wurden. Ziel der Studie ist zu verstehen, wie die Zeichnungen junger Lerner (CLD) als psychologische Instrumente dienen, um das Verständnis und wichtige soziale, kognitive und affektive Aspekte der eigenen Erfahrungen zu repräsentieren. Implikationen der Studie werden diskutiert.RESUMEN: Desde un enfoque sociocultural de la alfabetización, los niños pequeños, incluyendo diversidad cultural y lingüística (CLD), los niños, pueden ser vistos como activos creadores de significado a través de la participación en las prácticas de alfabetización cotidiana. Este énfasis teórico sobre la importancia del contexto social requiere que los maestros y los cuidadores no sólo para mejorar la cooperación y crear entornos de aprendizaje, sino también para estudiar la forma de dar sentido a los dibujos de los niños y otros modos no verbales incrustada en las prácticas de alfabetización. Con base en una perspectiva vygotskiana, este estudio explora cómo los niños pequeños el uso de dibujos y otras herramientas semióticas como mediadores importantes por las que representan su experiencia, el sentimiento y el conocimiento en términos del proceso de construcción de significados. Dentro de un marco de investigación cualitativa, este estudio utiliza datos recogidos durante el tema de la lección del, círculo' para entender cómo los jóvenes diversidad cultural y lingüística (EPC) de los alumnos dibujos sirven como una herramienta psicológica para entender y representar aspectos importantes de sus propias experiencias en cuanto a de los aspectos sociales, cognitivos y afectivos. Implicaciones de este estudio se analizan.

Journal of Early Childhood Literacy, 2018