Digital Storytelling With English Language Learning Families

Family Literacy

Research has shown that families’ literacy practices, including oral interactions and joint storybook reading, have a positive impact on children’s literacy achievement in school (Trainin, Wessels, Nelson & Vadasy, 2016; Bus, van Ijzendorn, & Pellegrini, 1995). However, as Dickinson and Tabors (2002) observed, some adults may lack confidence reading to their children due to lack of prior experience with shared book reading, limited literacy skills, or lack of English proficiency. This reluctance can lead to lesser literacy and language experiences for children in their home environment. In families whose first language is not English, parents often provide literacy experiences that do not fully align with school expectations and thus can lead to diminished school outcomes, which widen the achievement gap (Dickinson & Tabors, 2002; Strucker, Snow & Alexander, 2004). Research also shows that both families and schools are often reluctant to promote home literacy when it is in a language different than English since they perceive biliteracy as an obstacle instead of a strength (Shin & Krashen, 1996). Even though research has consistently found that more enriching language experiences in the home language lead to positive outcomes in both the home language and English (Tse, 1998).