Bilingualism and Biliteracy Research Group

Principal Investigator, Iliana Reyes
University of Arizona

This research project consists of a longitudinal study regarding the development of emergent literacy in Latino children born to first and second generation immigrant parents in the United States. The project’s main goals are to: (1) describe and compare literacy and language use by preschool children (4-year-olds) to determine the linguistic and social factors associated to children’s language and literacy development; (2) describe and compare parenting language and literacy practices during parent-child interaction in different activities (mealtime, narrative book task, language social interaction during parent-child play); and (3) advance our theoretical understanding of the language and literacy development of immigrant children to aid the organizations and educational institutions serving them in developing optimal environments to prevent difficulties in literacy development in later schooling years.

Our research relies on mixed methods, qualitative and quantitative, for data collection and analysis using sociolinguistic and psycholinguistic theoretical frameworks. The data provided by this project is policy-relevant research that targets key factors that need to be considered for meeting the educational needs of Spanish-speaking children and their Latino families. In addition, the project recognizes the research needs of local advocacy groups and community based agencies by engaging parents, administrators, and local teachers involved on implementation and intervention of programs for immigrant Latino children and their families.


* This project has been funded by a grant from the Foundation for Child Development




The Language Development and Emergent Literacy in Immigrant Children’s project is a longitudinal study regarding the development of emergent literacy in Mexican children born to first and second generation immigrant parents in the United States. The project’s main goals are to:

(1) describe and compare literacy and language use by Mexican preschool children (4-year-olds), over a 36 month period, to determine the linguistic and social factors associated to children’s language and literacy development; (2) describe and compare parenting language and literacy practices during parent-child interaction in different activities (mealtime, narrative book task, language social interaction during parent-child play); and (3) advance our theoretical understanding of the language and literacy development of immigrant children to aid the organizations and educational institutions serving them in developing optimal environments to prevent difficulties in literacy development in later schooling years.

Our research relies on mixed methods, qualitative and quantitative, for data collection and analysis using sociolinguistic and psycholinguistic theoretical frameworks. The data provided by this project is policy-relevant research that targets key factors that need to be considered for meeting the educational needs of Spanish-speaking children and their families. In addition, the project recognizes the research needs of local advocacy groups and community based agencies by engaging parents, administrators, and local teachers involved on implementation and intervention of programs for immigrant Latino children and their families.

* This project has been funded by a grant from the Foundation for Child Development

Iliana Reyes, U. of Arizona
Emergent Literacy and Immigrant Children
2004-2007




MEETING THE NEEDS OF IMMIGRANT FAMILIES

This project focuses on two aspects of children’s development: early family interactions and educational literacy outcomes. These are important aspects of children’s early development that are commonly targeted by local advocacy groups and governmental agencies. The results from this study have implications for developing strategies and programs to serve immigrant families according to their specific needs. Advocacy groups and governmental agencies must be informed of differences and similarities in early childhood practices that might exist in particular immigrant groups. For Mexican-American first-generation families, factors such as cultural assimilation, language use, and development of the native language and second language might have a different effect on their literacy practices than for second-generation Mexican-American families.

Early childhood educators in particular could benefit from understanding the practices related to language development and literacy that are used by immigrant parents. In order to provide continuous support for the educational progress of immigrant children we must target their needs at an early age. This project will identify both the successes and problems related to Mexican-American children’s literacy outcome in their L1 and L2. It is important that research findings are put into practice to affect large-scale public policy and small-scale services and programs. By providing information to teachers, community agency leaders, and policy makers on the developmental milestones children have reached by the time they start attending preschool, we will be in a better position to serve Mexican-American children of working class immigrant families.