Classroom culture and English language learners: Negotiating meaning in preschool special education

This study was designed to gather information through participant observation on the settings in which Spanish speaking preschool children are placed once they are identified as having developmental delays and are found eligible for preschool special education services. Information was also obtained by interviewing the mothers of the two focus children and their teachers. The study examined how various aspects of classroom culture interact to support or place at risk Spanish language background preschoolers with communication delays as they attempt to make sense of their new setting. The inquiry considered the role of teacher talk, adult/child interactions, and child/child interactions across routines and activities throughout the school day in an effort to determine how the language, social skills, and learning of the focus children were supported. The findings indicate that adult input shapes and limits the children's conversational output and that free play and snack time provide the best opportunities for spontaneous, turn-taking communication by the focus children and their classmates. The findings also show that the classroom environment did not support the focus children's native language and culture and that many learning opportunities or "teachable moments" initiated by the focus children were overlooked. Misunderstanding about the critical connection between first language development and acquisition of a second and learning in a second language is implicated in the organization of classroom activities and the strategies used to promote communication, social skills, and learning.