Examining playgroup teacher’s beliefs and practices : a case study on emergent English language and literacy instruction for two year olds in Hong Kong

Abstract

Language and literacy is an important area of development in the early years, and from two to three years of age, represents a critical time when language and literacy progress rapidly. For many children in Hong Kong it is also the age at which schooling begins. However, little is known about what teachers of this age believe and practice. This study investigates the emergent English language and literacy beliefs, practices and gaps among five current playgroup teachers working within five private, international preschools located throughout Hong Kong which are all part of the same educational organization. This research is a qualitative multi-case study centering on five purposely sampled playgroup teachers’ currently teaching students between the ages of two and three. The teachers were surveyed on their beliefs regarding emergent English language and literacy, observed to collect information on their practices, and interviewed to gain further insight into their beliefs and practices. Each teacher was observed four times for approximately three hours each session, which resulted in more than sixty hours of observations. Emergent English language and literacy was broken down into alphabet instruction, books, songs and rhymes, pre-writing, dramatic play, discussions and teacher talk, and classroom environment; and each aspect was further investigated. The teachers all consistently viewed books and songs and rhymes as very important and their practices reflected these beliefs. Teachers’ beliefs and practices were mostly consistent regarding alphabet instruction, however, the views from one teacher to the next varied. Pre-writing was another area where teachers’ beliefs varied, and some belief-practice gaps were noticeable. The aspects of dramatic play and discussions and teacher talk highlighted both differing viewpoints among the teachers and some additional belief-practice gaps. A rich classroom environment was highly rated by all teachers, but some found constraints when putting their beliefs into action. The study is significant because it sheds light on playgroup teachers in Hong Kong, which is a growing field where not enough research has taken place. Furthermore, this research provides the opportunity to investigate beliefs teachers have and strategies they use when teaching several aspects of emergent English language and literacy to both native and non-native speaking students.