EXPLORING LANGUAGE AND LITERACY DEVELOPMENT OF ENGLISH AS A SECOND LANGUAGE AMONGST EARLY CHILDHOOD LEARNERS IN SOUTH AFRICA AND SPAIN: COMPARATIVE STUDY (original) (raw)

The current paper and research project form part of a broader literacy project, funded by the South African National Research Foundation (NRF) (grant number: 87728), entitled “Cognitive linguistic processing and literacy development of L1 and L2 children with typical and atypical patterns of development”i. Employing a multi-method exploratory research design, this paper will, inter alia, report the findings of the administration of the Early Language and Literacy Classroom Observation (ELLCO) tool, field notes, and individual interviews with early childhood teachers at the sample schools in South Africa and Spain. The project involved twelve schools in the Free State Province, South Africa, and twelve schools in Granada, Spain. Individual interviews were conducted with early childhood teachers (Pre-K and Kindergarten) (n = 24; one educator per school). The ELLCO results reported in this paper will pertain to the classroom structure, the literacy curriculum, the language environment, books and reading, and print and writing opportunities of English as a second language. In addition, the paper will report the main challenges and highlight the positive experiences of the teachers in their quest to create classroom environments that encourage the early language and literacy development of English second language learners (L2). Preliminary results emphasize the importance of factors affecting the teacher and the classroom – specifically the quantity and quality of language instruction for learners learning a second language; over-crowded classrooms and the lack of parental support for children learning a second language. Focusing on English language teaching and literacy development, this research also highlights the effect of the limited English proficiency among English language teachers and its influence on language learning and the development of literacy of L2 children.