Early childhood educators’ competences for supporting children's academic language skills in Germany

Abstract

This study investigates early childhood educators’ language training competence that is required to support children's linguistic development. Hundred and forty-four early-years-professionals in Germany completed a computer-based assessment. We first tested knowledge of linguistic topics (e.g. morpho-syntax, developmental stages). Second, we probed their ability to make relevant linguistic observations in videotaped child–educator interactions. Third, we asked them to select adequate language interventions for the observed child. The participants’ knowledge and observing ability scores were slightly above 50% but they scored low in selecting effective interventions. More detailed analyses indicate that those with a higher level of secondary education outperformed low-educated early-years-professionals. Only those with intensive specialist training were better equipped to choose appropriate intervention methods. We discuss the results in light of the current German and (inter-) national practice of early childhood educators’ professional training and suggest a greater emphasis on linguistics and language awareness in their education.

Keywords:

• early childhood caregivers
• child language development
• teacher training
• preschool
• multilingualism
• professionalism

Acknowledgements

This study was financed by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF), 01GJ0905. We thank Rosemarie Tracy, Carolyn Seybel, Lena Landzettel, Regina Killian, Anne Bauer, and Katarina Fischer for their cooperation and the two anonymous external reviewers for helpful comments.

Note

Notes

1. At first, the factor ‘age’ was included as a covariate. It was removed from the reported analysis because it did not reach significance. Also ‘institution of professional education’ was excluded for collinearity with ‘highest level of secondary education’.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Marije Michel

Marije Michel holds a PhD in applied linguistics from the University of Amsterdam in the Netherlands. Before becoming a lecturer in language teaching and learning at Lancaster University in the United Kingdom, she was a post-doctoral fellow within the project SprachKoPF at the University of Mannheim in Germany. Her research and teaching focuses on cognitive and interactive aspects of (second) language acquisition.

Daniela Ofner

Daniela Ofner studied English linguistics at the University of Mannheim in Germany and works as a PhD student within the project SprachKoPF. Using qualitative methods she prepares a dissertation on early childhood educators’ skills in applying their theoretical knowledge about language acquisition and development in their daily life as an early childhood educator.

Dieter Thoma

Dieter Thoma studied business, English, and business education at the University of Mannheim (Germany) and the University of Swansea (UK). He wrote his PhD on strategic attention in language testing with a focus on yes/no vocabulary tests. As an assistant professor of English linguistics he leads several research projects at the University of Mannheim, among others, SprachKoPF.