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The relationship between parental involvement and children’s language acquisition

  • Alexander Funk

    Alexander Funk is a Senior Lecturer in the Faculty of Psychology and Education at University Malaysia Sabah in Malaysia, where he teaches courses in the Teaching English as a Second Language (TESL) programme. He earned his PhD in Applied Linguistics at Swinburne University of Technology. His research interests include second language acquisition, parental and community involvement in education, and personality traits in high achieving learners.

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Published/Copyright: March 29, 2024

Abstract

This study proposes that when parents are involved in providing learning support, the success rates for language acquisition are significantly higher. This paper explores the pedagogical strategies employed by non-Mandarin speaking parents through interactions to support their children’s language development. A cross case analysis carried out with five high achieving children and their families showed that parents were involved personally in their child’s education. They took it upon themselves to read with the child, play with the child, learn the language together with the child, assess the child and create opportunities for the child to practise the language. The study revealed that the support and psychological tools parents used helped to mediate their children’s language development process within family practices. These psychological tools could be adopted in classroom settings to supplement language acquisition pedagogies used by teachers.

提要

这项研究认为, 当父母参与并提供学习上的支持时, 孩子在语言习得的成功率会显著提高。本文试图探讨对于家中沒有中文学习环境的学生, 家长可以如何通过互动来支持孩子语言发展的教学策略。通过对五名成绩优异的孩子及其家人进行研究和交叉案例分析发现, 这些家长们都有亲自参与到孩子的教育中。他们主动与孩子一起阅读、玩耍、学习语言、评估孩子以及为孩子创造练习语言的机会。研究揭示, 家长使用的支持和心理工具有助于引导孩子在家庭实践中的语言发展过程。这些心理工具可以被采纳到课堂设置中, 以补充教师使用的语言习得教学法。


Corresponding author: Alexander Funk, University Malaysia Sabah, Jalan UMS, 88400 Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, Malaysia, E-mail:

About the author

Alexander Funk

Alexander Funk is a Senior Lecturer in the Faculty of Psychology and Education at University Malaysia Sabah in Malaysia, where he teaches courses in the Teaching English as a Second Language (TESL) programme. He earned his PhD in Applied Linguistics at Swinburne University of Technology. His research interests include second language acquisition, parental and community involvement in education, and personality traits in high achieving learners.

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Published Online: 2024-03-29
Published in Print: 2024-05-27

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