Abstract: Communication and language with young bilingual learners in China

Developing communication and language with young bilingual learners in China

The importance of speaking and listening in the acquisition of language has long been reported (Friedberg, 1994). The role of storytelling is considered an effective means of developing listening, vocabulary and speaking (MacGrath Speaker et al., 2004), especially when young children are learning English as a second language (Kirsch, 2012). There are few studies, however, into emergent bilingualism in Chinese and English. Hu and Commeyras (2008) reported that storytelling in Chinese and English, alongside extended activities, resulted in improvements in literacy in Chinese and English.

Observation by the authors indicates that young Chinese learners of English display delayed development of speaking English. A deliberate attempt to address this challenge comprised a storytelling programme, termed ‘story talk’. This study explores the impact of story talk on a cohort of 303 pupils on communication and language (CL) within the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) framework. An effect size of 0.8 was recorded, indicating a high level of impact of story talk on pupil CL. Implications of these findings for bilingual education in China are presented. Keywords English language, storytelling, communication, speaking, bilingual, nursery, China

Research project file_Hussain, Bagshaw, Jones, Cunning, Anderson