A Microethnographic View In One Head Start Preschool Classroom

This critique analyzes an article written by Ruth A Pike: “Understanding Influences of Play on Second Language Learning: A Microethnographic View in One Head Start Preschool Classroom”. This article analyzes a study done over a fifty day period, assessing students oral language development and interactions of the English language through the use of play in the classroom. This paper discusses different aspects needed for improvement of the study conducted, as well as the strengths and weaknesses of the article.

Article Critique: Understanding Influences of Play on Second Language Learning: A Microethnographic View in One Head Start Preschool Classroom

The article, by Ruth A Pike addresses how play among preschool-aged children’s

Researchers have found that the achievement gap will develop over time regardless of the program or the instruction. These findings raise the question: What may be supporting language learning in school? One of the biggest influences is the importance of play in school. Play is central in life, academic and language learning for small children. Bodrova (2008) states “the importance of play for language development in monolingual speaking children is well established”. However, there is not a lot of research done on how play helps develop English language development in monolingual Spanish speakers. This study builds upon only a handful of studies that have examined the influences of different types of social interactions between learners and their peers in oral language development. The ethnographic approach used investigates the language environment of a preschool classroom and supports attempts to understand the “consequences of membership, and how differential access within a group shapes opportunities for learning and participation” (Pike, 2013). Peers are perceived as a valuable resource for learning a second language but conclusions about the role of peers in the learning of the children’s oral production of English are contradictory. This was one of the findings presented in this article by Pike

These guidelines are detrimental towards support for teachers and students need to develop English language competencies. One teacher mentioned in the article, had no previous experience working in preschool and she had not taken courses in child development, The other teacher’s educational knowledge evolved from attending six years of Head Start workshops, however, she had no formal education in preschool or bilingual education. Looking at both of these facts, teachers who do not hold higher education, limit the instructional strategies presented in the classroom.These limitations include: supporting the learning of dual language learners, vocabulary, grammatical forms, semantics, and language use in school. The results of this paper indicates that teachers should encourage more optimal learning circumstances to ensure frequent opportunities for developing English language skills. This idea requires a lot of planning and teachers may not have the experience or support to do