An exploration in language pedagogy: developing oral language skills in three and four year old children in an early intervention setting

The first aim of this study was to explore whether the aspects of adult speech to young children which have been identified in the literature as being facilitative of children’s language development, could be adapted for use as teaching strategies. A second aim was to examine whether these strategies could constitute an inclusive language pedagogy for early years settings. The areas of language development considered were children’s acquisition of the elements of the language system and their use of that system to engage in expository and narrative discourses. The study was designed as a qualitative, interactive enquiry located within the ethnographic tradition. The data collection technique was participant observation. The study was conducted through the generation of data, first hand, by the researcher adopting a teaching role. Over one school year, during weekly visits to an early years setting, conversations between the researcher and the participants were generated and recorded in small group, oneto-one and whole group contexts. The findings show how the use of a range of adult talk strategies contributed to the development of discourse skills in all of the participants. In Phase 2 of the study, all of the participants, including two children with serious language delay, were exhibiting knowledge of vocabulary and structure, engaging in discussion on topics, and presenting information to an audience, in ways which contrasted sharply with their communicative behaviours in Phase 1. The findings of the study suggest the need for increased support for practitioners in language teaching and learning in early years settings in Ireland and for reform of curriculum and early intervention policy. Directions for future research to build on the findings from this study are also suggested