Abstract
•Analysis conducted in a sample of Head Start classrooms serving Spanish-English DLLs.•Teachers used Spanish and mixed language frequently and for a variety of functions.•However, English was still the dominant language across speech functions.•Teachers provided little social-emotional support in any language.•Findings suggest areas for more teacher professional development and support.
Spanish-English dual language learners’ (DLLs’) linguistic, cognitive, and academic outcomes are related to their preschool teachers' use of both languages in classroom instruction. However, few studies examine how often preschool teachers use Spanish and English in their child-directed speech and whether the function of teachers' use of Spanish and English varies across languages. To address these gaps, this study examined the frequency and function of 23 teachers’ English, Spanish, and mixed language child-directed speech in a sample of 12 Head Start classrooms serving predominantly Spanish-English DLLs. A total of 1,699 10-second video recorded segments of teacher talk directed to children during small group instruction were coded for language use (English, Spanish, or mixed language), and function (academic instruction, behavioral direction, or social-emotional support). Spanish and mixed language were used frequently and for a variety of functions, although mixed effects logistic regression models results indicated that English was still the dominant language used by teachers within classrooms and for all functions. The majority of teacher talk in English and Spanish was used for academic instruction, followed by behavioral direction. When teachers used mixed language, they mostly used it for academic instruction, or a combination of speech functions. Only about 1% of teachers’ talk provided social-emotional support, most of which was provided in English. Implications for preschool teachers’ professional development, as well as interpretations of how teachers’ language practices reflect language practices in the broader community are discussed.