Leaping the language gap: strategies for preschool and head start teachers

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Abstract

This article discusses the importance of promoting language development in early childhood education and the need for interventions that are both time and cost-effective. It describes a pilot study that investigated the impact of indirect language stimulation (ILS) techniques on the receptive and expressive language skills of 4-year-old children. Two preschool teachers received training in implementing these techniques in their classrooms over a 6-month period. The study used assessments to measure the children's language growth. The results showed that students in classrooms where teachers received the training demonstrated significantly higher growth in expressive language scores compared to students in comparison classrooms. The study suggests that a short, low-cost training intervention can be beneficial for both preschool teachers and their 4-year-old students' language development.
Original languageEnglish
Article number7
JournalInternational Journal of Child Care and Education Policy
Volume9
Issue number1
DOIs
StatePublished - Dec 1 2015

ASJC Scopus Subject Areas

  • Pediatrics, Perinatology, and Child Health
  • Education
  • Sociology and Political Science
  • Pediatrics
  • Community and Home Care

Keywords

  • Expressive language
  • Head Start
  • Preschool
  • Professional development
  • Receptive

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