Learning a new word is an achievement. But hearing a familiar word from home can create a powerful sense of recognition, connection and belonging. Kyongson Park, associate professor of English as a second language education in the College of Education, Health and Human Services, and CASL sophomore Aarya Dhakal combined these ideas and explored how familiar language shapes young bilingual minds for the Summer Undergraduate Research Experience.
Park and Dhakal explored how bilingual storytime can support literacy, social-emotional learning and inclusion for toddlers and pre-K children, working with UM-Dearborn’s Early Childhood Education Center. The work builds on Park’s previous research studying ways to support young multilingual learners. This year, Park and Dhakal partnered with ECEC teachers to select stories, songs and activities to introduce pre-K and toddler-age children to Arabic vocabulary and examine their responses.
The pair identified a handful of key words from each English-language story and introduced their Arabic equivalents using picture cards and repetition. Rather than translating an entire story, they focused on a small number of key words, giving the children multiple opportunities to hear, repeat and use them. Across the five sessions, researchers observed that the pre-K children consistently recalled the Arabic words, while the toddlers became increasingly engaged over time and with repeated exposure to the material.
Park and Dhakal also observed the potential for bilingual storytime to build confidence among multilingual children. While some children are hesitant to use their home language at school, seeing that language welcomed in the classroom often changed the dynamic.
“The multilingual children initially were kind of shy, and they didn’t always feel that sense of pride,” Park says. “But after the bilingual storytime, they’re more like, ‘Oh, I can speak English, but I can also speak Arabic.’ It helped develop their self-esteem.”
The researchers found that the children’s engagement often depended as much on encouragement as on the language itself. Positive reinforcement helped the children feel successful when they attempted new words or participated in interactive activities. “I noticed that the kids often looked to Professor Park and me for encouragement and engagement,” Dhakal says. “Affirming them when they attempted to participate, repeated words or responses seemed to make them feel accomplished and encouraged them to keep trying, especially kids who were initially quieter.”
For Dhakal — who is bilingual in English and Nepali — her own interest in the project came in part from a longstanding passion for the ways language can bring people together. “I've always been interested in language and culture, and I've experienced how meaningful it can be to connect with people through language itself,” she says.
Park sees that connection as one benefit of bringing multiple languages into early childhood classrooms. “It’s not just adding one more language; it is expanding their world,” she says.
Park hopes the research will make multilingual inclusion more accessible to teachers who may not speak their students’ home languages. “They don’t have to be perfect bilingual speakers,” Park says. “They can still teach and share stories with a more multilingual, community-based approach, and bring out more active engagement from the kids.” Simple strategies — such as incorporating key vocabulary, inviting families to share stories and introducing elements of students’ cultures — can help teachers integrate multilingual learning and cultural connection into their classrooms. The next step is to expand the work beyond the ECEC, potentially through partnerships with additional early childhood classrooms and Michigan’s Great Start Readiness Program.
For Dhakal, the project has provided more than an opportunity to study language and early childhood education. As a psychology major planning to pursue a career in medicine, the SURE program has given her hands-on research experience and a new perspective she can carry into her future career. “This experience has not only pushed me out of my shell but given me opportunities to grow and learn,” Dhakal says.
Story by Kathryn Bourlier-Kronner
