Following an established REL Northeast & Islands research protocol, we conducted a search for recent research on supporting dual language learners (DLLs) in early childhood. We focused on identifying resources that specifically addressed research on how to engage families of DLLs and for families to support DLLs’ language development. The sources searched included ERIC and other federally funded databases and organizations, academic research databases, and general Internet search engines (For details, please see the methods section at the end of this memo.)

We have not evaluated the quality of references and the resources provided in this response and we offer them only for your reference. Because our search for references is based on the most commonly used resources of research, it is not comprehensive and other relevant references and resources may exist.

Research References

1. Barrueco, S., Smith, S., & Stephens, S. A. (2016). Supporting Parent Engagement in Linguistically Diverse Families to Promote Young Children’s Life Success. Journal of Applied Research on Children: Informing Policy for Children at Risk, 7(1), 13.
   https://eric.ed.gov/?q=&id=EJ1188421
   From the abstract: “This paper examines research that can inform policies aimed at building the capacity of early care and education programs to promote parent engagement in linguistically diverse families. The key questions addressed include:1)What factors affect linguistically diverse families’ access to early care and education programs?; 2) What do we know about linguistically diverse families and how parents in these families support their young children’s learning and development?; 3) What features of early care and education programs appear to contribute to high levels of parent engagement in linguistically diverse families?; and 4) What policies can help increase the capacity of early care and education programs to support parent engagement in linguistically diverse families?”
2. Brannon, D., Dauksas, L. (2014) The Effectiveness of Dialogic Reading in Increasing English Language Learning Preschool Children's Expressive Language. International Research in Early Childhood Education, v5 n1 p1-10.
   https://eric.ed.gov/?q=&id=EJ1150938
   From the abstract: “The effectiveness of dialogic reading in increasing the literacy interactions between English language learning parents (ELL) and their preschool aged children and children's expressive language development were studied. Twenty-one ELL parents of preschool aged children received dialogic reading training every other week for a ten-week period. Parents in the dialogic reading group allowed their children access to the book and posed and solicited questions significantly more than the control group. Children with parents in the dialogic reading group held the book, posed and solicited questions, and sustained attention significantly more. Overall, parents in the dialogic reading group exhibited significantly stronger skills in two categories of reading: promoting interactive reading and using literacy strategies. Children whose parents received the dialogic reading training acquired significantly more words from pre-test to post-test. Researchers found that and parents' literacy interactions with their children were positively influenced by the dialogic reading training and that parents' use of dialogic reading positively affected their children's expressive language skills.”
3. Calzada, E. J., Huang, K. Y., Hernandez, M., Soriano, E., Acra, C. F., Dawson-McClure, S., Kamboukos, D. & Brotman, L. (2015). Family and teacher characteristics as predictors of parent involvement in education during early childhood among Afro-Caribbean and Latino immigrant families. Urban education, 50(7), 870-896.
   https://eric.ed.gov/?q=&id=EJ1072956
   www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4582786/
   From the abstract: “Parent involvement is a robust predictor of academic achievement, but little is known about school- and home-based involvement in immigrant families. Drawing on ecological theories, the present study examined contextual characteristics as predictors of parent involvement among Afro-Caribbean and Latino parents of young students in urban public schools. Socioeconomic disadvantage was associated with lower home-based involvement. Several factors were associated with higher involvement, including parents’ connection to their culture of origin and to U.S. culture, engagement practices by teachers and parent–teacher ethnic consonance (for Latinos only). Findings have implications for promoting involvement among immigrant families of students in urban schools.”
4. Halgunseth, L., Jia, G., & Barbarin, O. (2013). Family engagement in early childhood programs: Serving families of dual language learners. California’s best practices for young dual language learners: Research overview papers, 119-171.
   https://www.researchgate.net/publication/266394039_Family_Engagement_in_Early_Childhood_Programs_Serving_Families_of_Dual_Language_Learners
   From the abstract: “The two most influential environments in which young children develop are their homes and their early childhood education programs. In 2005, 60 percent of all U.S. children under age 6 spent some time in the care of persons other than their parents, including 62 percent of White children, 69 percent of Black children, and 49 percent of Hispanic children. Considering that children's time is often divided between these two settings, there is a clear relationship between strong program-family partnerships and children's academic success. While educators have long known about the importance of family engagement for children's learning, some may feel frustrated by perceived low levels of engagement with some families they serve. Perceptions of low engagement may be due to differences in cultural values or languages spoken between program staff and families. They may also result from a program's approach to family engagement. Some programs focus on getting families to change rather than recognizing their strengths and abilities to support children's learning. Using ecological and social exchange theories as frameworks, this article: (1) defines family engagement; (2) describes ways to strengthen relationships between programs and families; and (3) provides evidence-based practices that can strengthen family engagement and improve learning for all children.”
5. Isitan, S., Saçkes, M., Justice, L. M.., Logan, J. A. R. (2018). Do Early Learning and Literacy Support at Home Predict Preschoolers' Narrative Skills? Educational Sciences: Theory and Practice, v18 n3 p661-671.
   https://eric.ed.gov/?q=&id=EJ1202126
   From the abstract: “This study aimed to examine the psychometric properties of an instrument designed to measure parental practices to support young children's learning and literacy at home (ELLS) and explore the predictive validity of the instrument by examining the associations between the ELLS subscales (basic concepts, phonological awareness, conceptual understanding) and children's narrative skill scores. The sample included 315 parents of three to five years old preschool-aged children. The results of a confirmatory factor analysis demonstrated that a hypothesized three-factor model was a good fit to the sample data. All subscales had adequate internal consistency. The overall findings of the current study suggest that phonological awareness is the strongest predictors of children's narrative skills. Parental activities that aim to promote children's phonological awareness appear to make a greater contribution to the children's narrative skills than the activities that enhance children's knowledge of basic concepts and understanding of events and characters depicted in picture books.”
6. McWayne, C. M., Melzi, G., Schick, A. R., Kennedy, J. L., & Mundt, K. (2013). Defining family engagement among Latino Head Start parents: A mixed-methods measurement development study. Early Childhood Research Quarterly, 28(3), 593-607.
   https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0885200613000355
   PDF Link: http://publish.illinois.edu/latinoeducationintheusa/files/2015/10/2013_McWaynet-et-al.-Defining-family-engagement-among-Latino-Head-Start-parents.pdf
   From the abstract: “Given the increasing numbers of Latino children and, specifically, of dual-language learning Latino children, entering the U.S. educational system, culturally contextualized models are needed to understand how parents construct their involvement roles and support their children's educational experiences. Current measures of parenting and family engagement have been developed primarily with European American families and, thus, might not capture engagement behaviors unique to other ethnic groups. Lacking culture-appropriate measurement limits our ability to construct programs that adequately incorporate protective factors to promote children's successful development. The present mixed-methods investigation employed an emic approach to understand family engagement conceptualizations for a pan-Latino population. One hundred thirteen parents from 14 Head Start programs in a large, northeastern city participated in the first study, in which domains of family engagement were identified and specific items were co-constructed to capture family engagement behaviors. Then, 650 caregivers participated in a second study examining the construct validity of the resulting 65-item measure across two language versions: Parental Engagement of Families from Latino Backgrounds(PEFL-English) and Participación Educativa de Familias Latinas(PEFL-Spanish). Four theoretically meaningful dimensions of family engagement among Latino Head Start families were identified empirically. The measure was then validated with teacher report of family involvement and parent report of satisfaction with their experiences in Head Start.”
7. Mendoza, S. (2016). Reading Strategies to Support Home-to-School Connections Used by Teachers of English Language Learners. Journal on English Language Teaching, v6 n4 p33-38.
   https://eric.ed.gov/?q=&id=EJ1133199
   From the abstract: “This particularistic qualitative case study design examined reading strategies, approaches, and resources teachers of ELL (English Language Learner) students in kindergarten through third grade use to support reading development and promote the home to school connection regarding literacy proficiency. The purpose of this study was to examine strategies, resources, and approaches used to support home-to- school partnerships focused on reading development of K-3 ELLs in the X Public School District. Data analysis resulted in six emergent themes consisting of 22 teacher interviews. The first finding in this study that was revealed through teacher interviews identified guided reading, visual aides, reader's theater, and modeling/oral reading fluency as strategies that contribute to ELLs reading proficiency. In the second finding, teachers identified inviting parents to volunteer in the classroom, sending home a reading log that helps track the students' reading at home, and inviting parent participation in extracurricular activities as approaches to encourage partnerships regarding reading development of ELLs. The results of this study provided recommendations for educational leaders to provide teachers specific professional development to encourage parent participation to focus on increasing students' reading development that is tailored to the students' and caregivers' language needs. For future research, it is recommended that the study be replicated using different school districts to determine if similar findings were consistent across different districts.”
8. Wood, C., Fitton, L., Rodriguez, E. (2018). Home Literacy of Dual-Language Learners in Kindergarten from Low-SES Backgrounds. AERA Open, v4 n2.
   https://eric.ed.gov/?q=&id=EJ1194144
   From the abstract: “This study aimed to describe home literacy (HL) activities of Spanish-/English-speaking children of low-socioeconomic status backgrounds and examine the relationship between HL and performance on standardized assessments. Parents of 65 dual-language learners (DLLs) in kindergarten completed an HL questionnaire. Parents reported an average of 17 books at home and engaged in active HL activities for 24 minutes a day on average. The relations between HL activities and performance were evaluated using correlations and regression. Analyses revealed a significant relation between HL and children's language abilities, as measured by a bilingual measure of morphosyntax and semantics. Children's reported interest in reading was also positively associated with their phonological awareness skills. HL was significantly related to child interest in reading and language performance. These findings suggest that home literacy plays a role in the language and literacy development of DLLs. [For the corresponding grantee submission, see ED588647.]”

Additional Organizations to Consult

National Association for the Education of Young Children, https://www.naeyc.org/
From the website: “The National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) is a professional membership organization that works to promote high-quality early learning for all young children, birth through age 8, by connecting early childhood practice, policy, and research. We advance a diverse, dynamic early childhood profession and support all who care for, educate, and work on behalf of young children. The association comprises nearly 60,000 individual members of the early childhood community and more than 50 Affiliates, all committed to delivering on the promise of high-quality early learning. Together, we work to achieve a collective vision: that all young children thrive and learn in a society dedicated to ensuring they reach their full potential.” Note: There is a section of the website devoted to DLL transition to kindergarten.

Methods

Keywords and Search Strings

The following keywords and search strings were used to search the reference databases and other sources:

Early childhood DLL families

Support DLL transition to Kindergarten

Parents DLL

DLL family kindergarten

DLL home

DLL family engagement

Home to school ell

Family school relationship dll

DLL school readiness

ELL Kindergarten readiness

DLL kindergarten parent

ELL kindergarten parent

ELL parent literacy

Family engagement AND English learner OR dual language AND preK OR prekindergarten OR early childhood OR preschool

Family parent school communication AND language learner AND preK OR prekindergarten OR early childhood OR preschool

Parental engagement of dual language learners AND preK OR prekindergarten OR early childhood OR preschool

Databases and Resources

We searched ERIC for relevant resources. ERIC is a free online library of over 1.6 million citations of education research sponsored by the Institute of Education Sciences. Additionally, we searched Google Scholar.

Reference Search and Selection Criteria

When we were searching and reviewing resources, we considered the following criteria:

Date of the publication: References and resources published for last 10 years, from 2009 to present, were included in the search and review.

Search Priorities of Reference Sources: Search priority is given to study reports, briefs, and other documents that are published and/or reviewed by IES and other federal or federally funded organizations, academic databases, including WWC, ERIC, and NCEE.

Methodology: The following methodological priorities/considerations were given in the review and selection of the references: (a) study types – randomized control trials, quasi experiments, surveys, descriptive data analyses, literature reviews, policy briefs, etc., generally in this order; (b) target population, samples (representativeness of the target population, sample size, volunteered or randomly selected, etc.), study duration, etc.; (c) limitations, generalizability of the findings and conclusions, etc.