Home to School/Kindergarten to Grade 1: Incommensurable Practises?

N

24

Canadian Social Science and Humanities Research Council, Ottawa (Ontario).

Bilingual Students; Classroom Environment; Classroom Observation Techniques; English (Second Language); Family Influence; Foreign Countries; Grade 1; Interviews; Kindergarten; Primary Education; Pronunciation; Teacher Attitudes

Researchers followed 2 language minority children through their first 2 years of school, examining the influence of their parents and of school practices. Two cohorts of minority language students were followed from the beginning of kindergarten to the end of first grade. Students were observed once a week in their classrooms. Researchers kept field notes of conversations, audiotaped, and videotaped children monthly. The children's teachers were interviewed at least yearly. Bilingual research assistants conducted family and child interviews at least twice a year. This study focused on one child from each of the two cohorts. Results indicated that the children had rough transitions from home to school and from grade to grade, with teachers believing that they had fewer cognitive, social, and linguistic resources than their parents perceived. In both children's cases, the school's sorting practices negatively impacted their children's experiences. In the first child's case, his poor pronunciation of English and his chronic illness were two of many factors that negatively influenced his education. In the second child's case, the school environment and teachers' preconceived notions negatively influenced his experiences. (Contains 20 references.) (SM)

2002

ED462835