Integration of Food-based Learning With Science in the Preschool Classroom: Implementation Gaps and Opportunities.

OBJECTIVE: To explore Head Start teachers' use and integration of food-based learning (FBL) with science learning in the Head Start classroom. DESIGN: Phenomenological approach using in-depth semistructured telephone interviews. SETTING: North Carolina Head Start preschools. PARTICIPANTS: Thirty-five Head Start lead and assistant teachers. PHENOMENON OF INTEREST: All interviews were transcribed verbatim. Authors coded interview data for emergent themes. ANALYSIS: Eleven primary themes were identified during analysis and inductively organized using the Systems Thinking Iceberg Model. RESULTS: Teachers described most frequently using FBL during mealtimes. Teachers stated they felt successful when children were engaged and willing to try a new food. However, they struggled to connect food to science concepts. Teachers reported several motivators (eg, improving health) and barriers (eg, food waste) to integrating FBL. Teachers prioritized preparing children for kindergarten, but most teachers did not see how FBL could help them achieve this goal. CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS: Head Start teacher professional development programs could impact all 4 levels of the Systems Thinking Model to improve teachers' perceptions, underlying structures, and mental models regarding integrative FBL. Additional research is warranted to investigate the adoption, implementation, and potential impact of FBL on academic outcomes.

Psychometric Comparison of the English and Spanish Western-Hemisphere Versions of the Modified Checklist for Autism in Toddlers-Revised.

OBJECTIVES: Parent-report screening tools for autism spectrum disorder (ASD) are widely used to promote early identification of children with or at risk for ASD. Most screening tools have been developed in English in the United States or United Kingdom; thus, translated versions are needed for use with culturally and linguistically diverse populations. Traditional translation methods include a forward translation, back translation, and review. However, when used in new cultural and linguistic contexts, this "forward-back" approach may have limitations, including differing psychometric properties compared with original instruments. This study presents a psychometric analysis of the forward-back translation methodology of an ASD screening tool. METHODS: A retrospective chart review design was used to examine Modified Checklist for Autism in Toddlers-Revised (M-CHAT-R; Robins et al.) records from 2974 toddlers. Data were compared between caregivers who completed the original English M-CHAT-R and caregivers who completed its forward-back "Spanish-Western Hemisphere" translation to compare select psychometric properties of the 2 instruments. RESULTS: Significant differences were observed between the 2 versions, including a higher overall risk score, higher initial screen-positive rate, and increased likelihood of leaving items blank among Spanish-speaking respondents. CONCLUSION: Traditional translation methods seemed to affect select psychometric properties between translations of the M-CHAT-R. A more rigorous cultural adaptation approach may be necessary to maintain equivalence with the original instrument. Until new rigorous translations are available, it is recommended that language-specific screening tools continue to be used, along with recommended follow-up interviews, to avoid exacerbating existing health disparities.

Similarities and differences in the lexical-grammatical relation of young dual language learners with and without specific language impairment.

This study examines the lexical-grammatical relation within and across in preschool Latino dual language learners (DLLs) with and without specific language impairment (SLI) using language-specific vocabulary and conceptual lexical-semantic skills. The participants were sixty-one typically developing (TD) Spanish-English speaking DLLs and seventy-four DLLs with SLI from low-income households. Standardized and researcher developed assessment tools were used to measure vocabulary, semantics, and grammar in both Spanish and English. Cross-sectional data were analyzed using hierarchical linear regressions to determine the nature of the lexical-grammatical association within and across languages. The study found significant within-language relations between measures of vocabulary and grammar for both groups. Conceptual vocabulary was a significant predictor for English grammar in both groups. For the SLI group only, both English and Spanish vocabulary scores significantly predicted English grammar and bilingual semantics scores predicted Spanish grammar. These findings underscore the role of language-specific vocabulary on grammatical development and suggest the presence of bilingual bootstrapping in DLLs. However, the degree and nature of cross-linguistic associations vary by language ability and language proficiency. The role of age and nonverbal cognition and clinical implications are also discussed.

A View of the Lexical-Grammatical Link in Young Latinos With Specific Language Impairment Using Language-Specific and Conceptual Measures.

Purpose This study investigated the nature of the association of lexical-grammatical abilities within and across languages in Latino dual language learners (DLLs) with specific language impairment (SLI) using language-specific and bilingual measures. Method Seventy-four Spanish/English-speaking preschoolers with SLI from preschools serving low-income households participated in the study. Participants had stronger skills in Spanish (first language [L1]) and were in the initial stages of learning English (second language [L2]). The children's lexical, semantic, and grammar abilities were assessed using normative and researcher-developed tools in English and Spanish. Hierarchical linear regressions of cross-sectional data were conducted using measures of sentence repetition tasks, language-specific vocabulary, and conceptual bilingual lexical and semantic abilities in Spanish and English. Results Results indicate that language-specific vocabulary abilities support the development of grammar in L1 and L2 in this population. L1 vocabulary also contributes to L2 grammar above and beyond the contribution of L2 vocabulary skills. However, the cross-linguistic association between vocabulary in L2 and grammar skills in the stronger or more proficient language (L1) is not observed. In addition, conceptual vocabulary significantly supported grammar in L2, whereas bilingual semantic skills supported L1 grammar. Conclusions Our findings reveal that the same language-specific vocabulary abilities drive grammar development in L1 and L2 in DLLs with SLI. In the early stages of L2 acquisition, vocabulary skills in L1 also seem to contribute to grammar skills in L2 in this population. Thus, it is critical to support vocabulary development in both L1 and L2 in DLLs with SLI, particularly in the beginning stages of L2 acquisition. Clinical and educational implications are discussed.

Using Language-Specific and Bilingual Measures to Explore Lexical-Grammatical Links in Young Latino Dual-Language Learners.

Purpose: This study examined the nature of the relation between language-specific vocabulary and conceptual lexical-semantic skills with grammatical abilities within and across languages in preschool Latino dual language learners (DLLs). Method: Sixty-one typically developing, Spanish-English speaking DLLs from preschools serving low-income families participated in the study. Lexical, semantic, and grammar skills were assessed toward the end of the fall in both Spanish and English using normative and researcher-developed assessment instruments. Hierarchical linear regressions using baseline cross-sectional data were completed to determine the association of language-specific vocabulary and bilingual lexical and semantic abilities to grammatical skills measured by sentence repetition tasks in Spanish and English both within and across languages. Results: Results from the study revealed that a considerable percentage of the variance in the grammatical ability of these Latino DLL preschoolers in both Spanish and English was explained by lexical variables in the same language (54% in English and 16% in Spanish). In the strong language (Spanish), bilingual semantic skills also played a role, explaining an additional 8% of the variance. Conceptual vocabulary was a significant predictor of English grammar in the model that excluded the language-specific vocabulary measures. Conclusions: These findings suggest that grammatical skills in the Latino preschoolers examined in the study are strongly related to language-specific measures of vocabulary. In contrast, no evidence supporting the relation between vocabulary and grammar skills across languages was observed. Findings from this study provide insight into the impact of bilingual lexical-semantic knowledge on the grammatical skills of dual-language preschool children developing language abilities in their 2 languages. Clinical implications are also discussed.

The Impact of Individual Differences on a Bilingual Vocabulary Approach for Latino Preschoolers.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was twofold: First, we replicated in a new sample our previous findings that a culturally and linguistically responsive (CLR) bilingual approach for English vocabulary instruction for preschool Latino dual language learners was effective. Subsequently, we investigated whether the positive effect of CLR instruction varies as a function of individual child characteristics, including baseline vocabulary levels and gender. Method: Using a randomized pretest-posttest follow-up group design, we first replicated our previous study (N = 42) with a new sample by randomly assigning 35 Spanish-speaking Latino preschoolers to a CLR bilingual group or an English-only group. The preschoolers received small-group evidence-informed shared readings targeting 30 English words 3 times a week for 5 weeks in their preschools. Vocabulary outcomes were measured using both standardized and researcher-developed measures. We subsequently conducted further studies with the combined sample size of 77 children to examine the variability in intervention effects related to child gender and baseline vocabulary levels. Results: The direct replication study confirmed findings of our earlier work suggesting that the CLR bilingual approach promoted greater gains in L1 and L2 vocabulary than in an English-only approach. The extension studies revealed that the effect of the CLR bilingual vocabulary approach on English and Spanish vocabulary outcomes was not impacted by gender or vocabulary status at baseline. Conclusion: This study provides additional evidence of the benefits of strategically combining L1 and L2 for vocabulary instruction over an English-only approach. Our findings also suggest that preschool Latino dual language learners can benefit from a bilingual vocabulary instructional approach regardless of gender or baseline vocabulary levels in L1.

Relations Among the Home Language and Literacy Environment and Children's Language Abilities: A Study of Head Start Dual Language Learners and Their Mothers.

RESEARCH FINDINGS: This study explored the relations between Spanish-English dual language learner (DLL) children's home language and literacy experiences and their expressive vocabulary and oral comprehension abilities in Spanish and in English. Data from Spanish-English mothers of 93 preschool-age Head Start children who resided in central Pennsylvania were analyzed. Children completed the Picture Vocabulary and Oral Comprehension subtests of the Batería III Woodcock-Muñoz and the Woodcock-Johnson III Tests of Achievement. Results revealed that the language spoken by mothers and children and the frequency of mother-child reading at home influenced children's Spanish language abilities. In addition, the frequency with which children told a story was positively related to children's performance on English oral language measures. PRACTICE OR POLICY: The findings suggest that language and literacy experiences at home have a differential impact on DLLs' language abilities in their 2 languages. Specific components of the home environment that benefit and support DLL children's language abilities are discussed.

A culturally and linguistically responsive vocabulary approach for young Latino dual language learners.

PURPOSE: This study examined the role of the language of vocabulary instruction in promoting English vocabulary in preschool Latino dual language learners (DLLs). The authors compared the effectiveness of delivering a single evidence-informed vocabulary approach using English as the language of vocabulary instruction (English culturally responsive [ECR]) versus using a bilingual modality that strategically combined Spanish and English (culturally and linguistically responsive [CLR]). METHOD: Forty-two DLL Spanish-speaking preschoolers were randomly assigned to the ECR group (n=22) or CLR group (n=20). Thirty English words were presented during small-group shared readings in their preschools 3 times a week for 5 weeks. Multilevel models were used to examine group differences in postinstruction scores on 2 Spanish and 2 English vocabulary assessments at instruction end and follow-up. RESULTS: Children receiving instruction in the CLR bilingual modality had significantly higher posttest scores (than those receiving the ECR English-only instruction) on Spanish and English vocabulary assessments at instruction end and on the Spanish vocabulary assessment at follow-up, even after controlling for preinstruction scores. CONCLUSIONS: The results provide additional evidence of the benefits of strategically combining the first and second language to promote English and Spanish vocabulary development in this population. Future directions for research and clinical applications are discussed.