Children's early literacy meaning-making in multilingual early childhood education

Early experiences with literacy have positive effects on children’s language development (Dickinson et al., 2012; Sénéchal & LeFevre, 2014) and emergent literacy skills (Farver et al., 2013; Kennedy & McLoughlin, 2022). These are the foundation of children’s later reading and writing and, hence, contribute to educational success (Klein & Kogan, 2013). While many studies about literacy in the early years have analysed the development of emergent literacy skills (e.g Whitehurst & Lonigan, 1998), my study takes a sociocultural perspective on literacy as a situated practice (Gee, 2000) and examines children’s meaning-making during literacy events with a focus on literacy-related concepts, skills, and practices. The concept of meaning-making describes learning and understanding as a co-constructive process where language (Wells, 2009) and social interactions (Mercer, 1995) play a crucial role.
In Luxembourg, more than two thirds of the under-four-year-olds grow up in multilingual households, many of them without speaking one of the official languages Luxembourgish, French or German at home (SNJ, 2023). If their parents have a low socio-economic status, these children risk to be disadvantaged by the trilingual Luxembourgish school system (ONQS, 2022). Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC) can be a possible lever to counteract these educational inequalities (Burger, 2010; Skibbe et al., 2011). The ECEC sector in Luxembourg has grown drastically since the early 2000s (Schumacher et al., 2021) and has known a series of policy developments. In 2017, the policy for éducation plurilingue resulted in guidelines for multilingual early education, published in the national framework for non-formal education (MENJE & SNJ, 2017; 2021). The éducation plurilingue aims to promote children’s language development and inclusion of their family languages in ECEC, as well as collaboration between educators, parents, and local actors. The mixed-method project COMPARE (Collaboration with parents and multiliteracies in ECEC in Luxembourg), therefore, set out to investigate and develop collaboration with parents and multiliteracies in ECEC.
This study is embedded in COMPARE and explores the early literacy practices of nine focus children, in three ECEC settings – called crèches – across Luxembourg. Using qualitative methods of data collection, such as videography, fieldnotes, photographs, and interviews, and drawing on a combination of qualitative content, sociocultural discourse (Mercer, 2004), and conversational analysis (Seedhouse, 2006), I explored the ways in which children made meaning of literacy-related concepts, skills, and practices during literacy events alone, or in interaction with peers and adults.
The findings of my study indicate that literacy practices in the three crèches were varied and shaped by different contextual factors, such as space, material, group size and language use. These factors, as well as authentic learning situations, the inclusion of children’s perspectives, and shared understanding, influenced the quality of adult-child interactions and children’s engagement, which supported early literacy meaning-making. Furthermore, children’s early literacy meaning-making involved three levels of meaning; print awareness, print and linguistic concepts, as well as literacy practices. Finally, adults and children made different types of connections ranging from concrete, over emotional, to abstract, when they co-constructed meaning of literacy in interaction.
These findings extend theoretical understandings of early literacy by taking a holistic perspective that encompasses skills and practices. Furthermore, they extend empirical studies by examining young emergent multilingual children’s early literacy meaning-making in naturalistic observations. My study has several implications for policy-makers and practitioners who ought to reflect on their views on literacy in the early years as well as their interpretations of a ‘child-centred’ pedagogy. This could be achieved by clarifying policy documents and offering specific professional development training. Finally, my study showed the pedagogical value of taking into account diverse children’s perspectives and overcoming deficit-oriented views, by shifting the focus from the acquisition of skills to children’s understanding.