Supporting English and Spanish Literacy through a Family Literacy Program.

AbstractFamily literacy studies have shown that the role of parental storybook reading has an impact on children's success in school-based literacy instruction. However, many children who are English language learners come from homes or cultures where storybook readings are not common practice. The purpose of this qualitative research study explored the effects of an eight-week bilingual family literacy program for Latino, English learning families. Triangulation was assured through multiple sources of data: semistructured interviews conducted with participating parents; parent evaluation surveys; and researcher field notes. During the implementation of the bilingual family literacy program and the analysis of the data, three themes emerged: maintaining the first language, practicing what I have been taught, and the importance of time. Implications for educators are discussed.Key Words: family literacy, English language learners, storybook reading, Latino, Spanish, bilingual program, families, parents, home, school, booksIntroductionFamily literacy studies have shown that parental storybook reading has an impact on children's success in school-based literacy instruction (Snow, Burns, & Griffin, 1998). Researchers widely recommend storybook reading for promoting the early language development and literacy of children. By listening to stories, children develop phonological processes, vocabulary, concepts of print, and written syntax, all of which are closely linked to learning to read and write (National Early Literacy Panel, 2008). To increase children's storybook reading, many educators encourage parents to read to their children at home. However, for many parents who speak a language other than English, this might be a challenge for multiple reasons. English language learning parents may lack confidence in reading to their children due to lack of prior experience with shared book reading, limited literacy skills, or lack of English proficiency, thus supplying fewer English language experiences to children (Dickinson & Tabors, 2002). Many children who are English language learners (ELLs) come from homes or cultures where storybook readings may not be a common practice (Edwards, Paratore, & Roser, 2009); however, the parents are providing essential cognitive growth through daily interactions, household responsibilities, and family activities (Thomas & Collier, 2012). Latino parents provide their children with a wealth of family traditions, knowledge, and experiences, all of which facilitate the child's cognitive development.The purpose of this study was to examine an eight-week bilingual (Spanish/ English) family literacy program for Latino ELL families. This program was designed for Spanish-speaking parents who wished to use their native language while engaging in read-aloud activities that mirrored literacy techniques that their children were being exposed to in the school classroom. In this article, the term Latino will be used, which categorizes people who self-identify with terms such as Hispanic, Latino/a, Mexican, Puerto Rican, or Cuban, as well as other Spanish, Hispanic, or Latino, according to the 2010 U.S. Census.Theoretical FrameworkThe theoretical framework that guides this study is drawn from several areas of research, including dialogic reading, second language acquisition, and sociocultural perspective framework: zone of proximal development.Storybook reading, which involves caregivers and children reading a book together, is one way in which children can acquire important prereading skills, including vocabulary knowledge, awareness of print, and story structures (Snow et ah, 1998). Shared reading often involves an adult and a child reading together; however, this can also be done with siblings supporting each other (Gregory, Long, & Volk, 2004). In this bilingual family literacy program, the adult was the person who guided and read the text to their child. …