The positive effects of dialogic reading on children’s language and early literacy skills are well-known. While many researchers have designed intervention studies at home or at school, predominantly in English-speaking or in monolingual settings, there is a dearth of naturalistic studies and those that provide insights into the process of dialogic reading in multilingual contexts. The present qualitative paper investigates the case of Luxembourg where a multilingual program has been implemented over the last years that requires educators to familiarize children with Luxembourgish and French and value their home languages, for example when engaging in literacy activities. The paper draws on interviews and video recordings over a period of ten months and examines the ways in which educators in two private day care centers read dialogically with children aged two to four. The findings show that the dialogic reading practices differed in length and frequency, with the educators in one center initiating more talk in more languages, giving more feedback, and modelling language more than those in the second center. Furthermore, the educators in one center frequently translanguaged to facilitate communication and comprehension. The practices were influenced by the educators’ beliefs and understanding of the purpose of reading. These results highlight the need for professional development on the purposes of literacy and the effective use of language and strategies to engage children in dialogic reading.
Aarts, R., Demir‐Vegter, S., Kurvers, J., & Henrichs, L. (2016). Academic Language in Shared Book Reading: Parent and Teacher Input to Mono‐ and Bilingual Preschoolers. Language Learning, 66, 263-295. https://doi.org/10.1111/lang.12152
Adam, H., & Barratt-Pugh, C. (2023). Book Sharing with Young Children: A Study of Book Sharing in Four Australian Long Day Care Centres. Journal of Early Childhood Literacy, 23, 348-373. https://doi.org/10.1177/1468798420981745
Bergeron-Morin, L., Peleman, B., Hulpia, H. (2023). Working with Multilingual Children and Families in Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC): Guidelines for Continuous Professional Development of ECEC Professionals. NESET Report, Executive Summary, Publications Office of the European Union.
Bonacina-Pugh, F., da Costa Cabral, I., & Huang, J. (2021). Translanguaging in Education. Language Teaching, 54, 439-471. https://doi.org/10.1017/s0261444821000173
Braun, V., & Clarke, V. (2006). Using Thematic Analysis in Psychology. Qualitative Research in Psychology, 3, 77-101. https://doi.org/10.1191/1478088706qp063oa
Carrim, A., & Nkomo, S. A. (2023). A Systematic Literature Review of the Feasibility of a Translanguaging Pedagogy in the Foundation Phase. Journal of Languages and Language Teaching, 11, 195-210. https://doi.org/10.33394/jollt.v11i2.7158
Chung, E., & Fisher, L. (2022). A Dialogic Approach to Promoting Professional Development: Understanding Change in Hong Kong Language Teachers’ Beliefs and Practices Regarding Vocabulary Teaching and Learning. System, 110, Article ID: 102901. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.system.2022.102901
Dowdall, N., Melendez‐Torres, G. J., Murray, L., Gardner, F., Hartford, L., & Cooper, P. J. (2020). Shared Picture Book Reading Interventions for Child Language Development: A Systematic Review and Meta‐Analysis. Child Development, 91, 383-399. https://doi.org/10.1111/cdev.13225
Farver, J. A. M., Xu, Y., Lonigan, C. J., & Eppe, S. (2013). The Home Literacy Environment and Latino Head Start Children’s Emergent Literacy Skills. Developmental Psychology, 49, 775-791. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0028766
García, O. (2023). Translanguaged TESOL in Transit. TESOL Journal, 10 , 5-18.
García, O., & Kleifgen, J. A. (2020). Translanguaging and Literacies. Reading Research Quarterly, 55, 553-571. https://doi.org/10.1002/rrq.286
Grøver, V., Rydland, V., Gustafsson, J., & Snow, C. E. (2022). Do Teacher Talk Features Mediate the Effects of Shared Reading on Preschool Children’s Second-Language Development? Early Childhood Research Quarterly, 61, 118-131. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecresq.2022.06.002
Hartmann, W., Hajszan, M., Pfohl-Chalaupek, M., Stoll, M., & Hartel, B. (2009). Sprache , Kommunikation und Literacy im Kindergarten. HPT.
Hu, J., Hao, Y., & Yang, N. (2021). Chinese Australian Children’s Shared Reading Experiences at Home and in Preschools: A Case Study on Parents and Educators’ Attitudes and Practices. SAGE Open, 11 . https://doi.org/10.1177/21582440211007493
Hui, A. N. N., Chow, B. W., Chan, E. S. M., & Leung, M. (2020). Reading Picture Books with Elements of Positive Psychology for Enhancing the Learning of English as a Second Language in Young Children. Frontiers in Psychology, 10, Article 2899. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2019.02899
Kemp, V. (2024). Young Children’s Early Literacy Meaning-Making: A Qualitative Study in Three Crèches in Luxembourg. Doctoral Dissertation, University of Luxembourg.
Kirsch, C. (2021). Practitioners’ Language-Supporting Strategies in Multilingual ECE Institutions in Luxembourg. European Early Childhood Education Research Journal, 29, 336-350. https://doi.org/10.1080/1350293x.2021.1928721
Kirsch, C., & Aleksić, G. (2021). Multilingual Education in Early Years in Luxembourg: A Paradigm Shift? International Journal of Multilingualism, 18, 534-550. https://doi.org/10.1080/14790718.2021.1905643
Kirsch, C., & Bergeron-Morin, L. (2023). Educators, Parents and Children Engaging in Literacy Activities in Multiple Languages: An Exploratory Study. International Journal of Multilingualism, 20, 1386-1403. https://doi.org/10.1080/14790718.2023.2195658
Kirsch, C., & Hornberger, N. H. (2024). Multiple Lenses to Understand and Shape Multilingual Literacy Practices in Early Childhood Education. Language, Culture and Curriculum, 37, 289-309. https://doi.org/10.1080/07908318.2024.2335938
Kirsch, C., Kemp, V., & Bebić-Crestany, D. (2023). Guide on Dialogic Reading for Parents and Professionals. University of Luxembourg.
Mihai, A. (2021). Teacher-Child Interactions That Target Vocabulary Development in Two Preschool Classrooms: A Conversation Analytic Approach. International Journal of Early Childhood, 53, 279-296. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13158-021-00296-6
Ministry of National Education (MENJE), Childhood and Youth & (SNJ) National Youth Service (2021). Cadre de référence national sur l’éducation non formelle des enfants et des jeunes . https://www.enfancejeunesse.lu/fr/cadre-de-reference-national/
Mol, S. E., Bus, A. G., de Jong, M. T., & Smeets, D. J. H. (2008). Added Value of Dialogic Parent-Child Book Readings: A Meta-analysis. Early Education and Development, 19, 7-26. https://doi.org/10.1080/10409280701838603
Moses, L., & Torrejon Capurro, C. (2023). literacy‐based Play with Young Emergent Bilinguals: Explorations in Vocabulary, Translanguaging, and Identity Work. TESOL Quarterly, 58, 423-450. https://doi.org/10.1002/tesq.3236
Pico, D. L., & Woods, C. (2023). Shared Book Reading for Spanish-Speaking Emergent Bilinguals: A Review of Experimental Studies. Review of Educational Research, 93, 103-138. https://doi.org/10.3102/00346543221095112
Pillinger, C., & Vardy, E. J. (2022). The Story So Far: A Systematic Review of the Dialogic Reading Literature. Journal of Research in Reading, 45, 533-548. https://doi.org/10.1111/1467-9817.12407
Pontier, R., & Gort, M. (2016). Coordinated Translanguaging Pedagogy as Distributed Cognition: A Case Study of Two Dual Language Bilingual Education Preschool Coteachers’ Languaging Practices during Shared Book Readings. International Multilingual Research Journal, 10, 89-106. https://doi.org/10.1080/19313152.2016.1150732
Seedhouse, P. (2005). Conversation Analysis and Language Learning. Language Teaching, 38, 165-187. https://doi.org/10.1017/s0261444805003010
Seltzer, K., Ascenzi-Moreno, L., & Aponte, G. Y. (2020). Translanguaging and Early Childhood Education in the USA: Insights from the CUNY-NYSIEB Project. In J. A. Panag-iotopoulou, L. Rosen, & J. Strzykala (Eds.), Inklusion und Bildung in Migrationsgesellschaften (pp. 23-39). Springer Fachmedien Wiesbaden. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-658-28128-1_3
Sembiante, S. F., Restrepo-Widney, C., Bengochea, A., & Gort, M. (2023). Sustainable Translanguaging Pedagogy in Support of the Vulnerable Language: Honoring Children’s Ways of ‘Showing’ and ‘Telling’ in an Early Childhood Dual Language Bilingual Education Program. International Journal of Bilingual Education and Bilingualism, 26, 928-942. https://doi.org/10.1080/13670050.2022.2161814
Sénéchal, M., Whissell, J., & Bildfell, A. (2017). Starting from Home: Home Literacy Practices That Make a Difference. In R. K. Parrila, K. Cain, & D. L. Compton (Eds.), Studies in Written Language and Literacy (pp. 383-408). John Benjamins Publishing Company. https://doi.org/10.1075/swll.15.22sen
Service National de la Jeunesse (SNJ) (2023). Enquête : La diversité linguistique des jeunes enfants et les pratiques langagières au sein des familles au Luxembourg. https://men.public.lu/dam-assets/catalogue-publications/langues/luxembourgeois/brochure-snj-diversite-linguistique.pdf
Skibbe, L. E., Connor, C. M., Morrison, F. J., & Jewkes, A. M. (2011). Schooling Effects on Preschoolers’ Self-Regulation, Early Literacy, and Language Growth. Early Childhood Research Quarterly, 26, 42-49. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecresq.2010.05.001
Thieme, A. M. M., Hanekamp, K., Andringa, S., Verhagen, J., & Kuiken, F. (2022). The Effects of Foreign Language Programmes in Early Childhood Education and Care: A Systematic Review. Language, Culture and Curriculum, 35, 334-351. https://doi.org/10.1080/07908318.2021.1984498
Torr, J. (2019). Infants’ Experiences of Shared Reading with Their Educators in Early Childhood Education and Care Centres: An Observational Study. Early Childhood Education Journal, 47, 519-529. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10643-019-00948-2
Vaish, V. (2021). Linguistic Distance and Translanguaging: Teaching Malay-English Bilingual Learners. Asia Pacific Journal of Education, 41, 673-684. https://doi.org/10.1080/02188791.2021.1997708
Velasco, P., & Fialais, V. (2018). Moments of Metalinguistic Awareness in a Kindergarten Class: Translanguaging for Simultaneous Biliterate Development. International Journal of Bilingual Education and Bilingualism, 21, 760-774. https://doi.org/10.1080/13670050.2016.1214104
Wasik, B. A., Hindman, A. H., & Snell, E. K. (2016). Book Reading and Vocabulary Development: A Systematic Review. Early Childhood Research Quarterly, 37, 39-57. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecresq.2016.04.003
Whitehurst, G. J., Arnold, D. S., Epstein, J. N., Angell, A. L., Smith, M., & Fischel, J. E. (1994). A Picture Book Reading Intervention in Day Care and Home for Children from Low-Income Families. Developmental Psychology, 30, 679-689. https://doi.org/10.1037/0012-1649.30.5.679
Whitehurst, G. J., Falco, F. L., Lonigan, C. J., Fischel, J. E., DeBaryshe, B. D., Valdez-Menchaca, M. C. et al. (1988). Accelerating Language Development through Picture Book Reading. Developmental Psychology, 24, 552-559. https://doi.org/10.1037/0012-1649.24.4.552
Zucker, T. A., Cabell, S. Q., Justice, L. M., Pentimonti, J. M., & Kaderavek, J. N. (2013). The Role of Frequent, Interactive Prekindergarten Shared Reading in the Longitudinal Development of Language and Literacy Skills. Developmental Psychology, 49, 1425-1439. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0030347