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Who's Coming to My Party? Peer Talk as a Bridge to Oral Language Proficiency
Author(s) -
Farnsworth Megan
Publication year - 2012
Publication title -
anthropology and education quarterly
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.531
H-Index - 46
eISSN - 1548-1492
pISSN - 0161-7761
DOI - 10.1111/j.1548-1492.2012.01178.x
Subject(s) - argument (complex analysis) , bridge (graph theory) , ethnography , sociology , pedagogy , linguistics , psychology , mathematics education , medicine , biochemistry , chemistry , philosophy , anthropology
In this ethnographic study, I investigate heterogeneous‐language peer interactions in an E nglish‐only kindergarten classroom. E nglish L earners and E nglish P roficient students co‐created language necessary to build an argument, one discourse valued in schools. Students developed complex oral language proficiency skills but were viewed as engaging in chitchat. Implications include the need for teachers to listen to peer talk, which has potential for social, cognitive, and linguistic development necessary in which to bridge academic discourse. [ E nglish‐language acquisition, special education, social development]