Effects of Experiential Learning on Students’ Use of Facilitative Language Techniques during Shared Book Reading with Young Children

Teaching and Learning in Communication Sciences & Disorders Volume 6 Issue 1 Article 4 2022 Effects of Experiential Learning on Students’ Use of Facilitative Language Techniques during Shared Book Reading with Young Children Shannon Hall-Mills Florida State University, Follow this and additional works at: https://ir.library.illinoisstate.edu/tlcsd Part of the Language and Literacy Education Commons Recommended Citation Hall-Mills, Shannon (2022) "Effects of Experiential Learning on Students’ Use of Facilitative Language Techniques during Shared Book Reading with Young Children," Teaching and Learning in Communication Sciences & Disorders: Vol. 6 : Iss. 1 , Article 4. Available at: https://ir.library.illinoisstate.edu/tlcsd/vol6/iss1/4 This Pilot Studies is brought to you for free and open access by ISU ReD: Research and eData. It has been accepted for inclusion in Teaching and Learning in Communication Sciences & Disorders by an authorized editor of ISU ReD: Research and eData. For more information, please contact . Hall-Mills: Experiential Learning and Facilitating Language It is important for speech-language pathology (SLP) students to learn how to facilitate language development in young children within authentic contexts. Among the SLP roles and responsibilities that programs must prepare students for are duties related to prevention and identification of written language problems (ASHA, 2002). In their prevention efforts, SLP students must learn how to foster language acquisition and emergent literacy in young children. Students also need to learn how to identify children who are at risk for reading and writing difficulties so that their risks can be addressed and mitigated. One way to do this is to provide students with opportunities to implement rich language and emergent literacy experiences with children who are at risk. This pilot study investigated the training of student clinicians to use facilitative language techniques (FLTs) as they engaged with children in a community-based program at a local shelter for families experiencing homelessness. The Story Time program was designed to provide shared reading opportunities for young children two evenings weekly for eight weeks at a community center. Story Time was supervised by a speech-language pathology (SLP) faculty member and facilitated by SLP students, all of whom served as volunteers at the shelter. The location of Story Time was selected with consideration of a range of risk factors for children’s global language development, health and school success that are associated with poverty and homelessness for this vulnerable population. Risks Associated with Poverty A rudimentary definition of poverty explains that it is a condition in which one’s financial resources do not cover the costs associated with basic necessities for life such as food and shelter. The U.S. Government defines the federal poverty threshold by total family income. For example, the 2017 poverty threshold for a family of four people was $24,600 (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 2017). Parent income level is only one measure of poverty, and poverty can have a broader impact than difficulties obtaining the essentials for life. Limited access to opportunities and resources are other variables of poverty that impact child development and school outcomes. There are data that indicate an association exists between poverty and increased risk of speech and language disorders in young children. National health data reveal that a larger proportion of children who live in poverty have speech and language disorders than those who do not live in poverty, especially for those with severe cases involving comorbidity (Blumberg et al., 2015; Raghaven et al., 2018). Furthermore, the risk of some communication disorders is significantly greater for children whose families do not own a home (Wren et al., 2016). In addition to greater risk for communication disorders, poverty also places young children at greater risk for reading and learning disabilities (Tichnor-Wagner et al., 2016). To explore reasons for the added risks associated with poverty, researchers have examined the differences in home literacy environments for children from families of varying levels of socioeconomic status (SES). Many studies have documented observable and substantial gaps in the language and literacy experiences of children from families with low SES compared to those in the middle and high ranges of SES. These findings collectively address disparities in the quality and quantity of language directed to children in the home. Hart and Risley (1995) famously Published by ISU ReD: Research and eData, 2022 1 Teaching and Learning in Communication Sciences & Disorders, Vol. 6 [2022], Iss. 1, Art. 4 documented the gaps in cumulative language experience of children from families with a range of SES, findings which have been substantiated in subsequent research (Rowe, 2008). Other researchers have documented limitations in the range and depth of verbal input of children from low SES families compared to children from higher income families; differences that are associated with delayed language skills (Hoff, 2013; Pruitt & Oetting, 2009; Smith et al., 2000). Finally, at school entry, many children in poverty have the added challenge of having had fewer emergent literacy experiences than their peers (Tichnor-Wagner et al., 2016). Risks Associated with Homelessness The term homeless is defined as an individual or family that is either lacking a fixed, regular, adequate nighttime residence, having a public nighttime residence not designed for regular sleeping accommodations, living in a supervised publicly or privately-operated shelter for temporary living arrangements, living in hotels or motels with others after losing housing due to not paying rent, lacking resources to obtain permanent housing, or unaccompanied youth who have experienced frequent moves or a long period of independent living without housing (McKinneyVento Homeless Assistance Act, 1987). More than half of all children who are homeless and residing in shelters are five years old and younger (National Center for Homeless Education [NCHE], 2013). Long-term homelessness can have negative consequences on children’s development and academic achievement through the school years. As a group, children who are homeless or whose families are highly mobile have lower reading and math achievement and slower achievement growth rates and greater risk of grade retention than their lower-risk peers, including peers in poverty who are not homeless (Cutuli et al, 2013; Fantuzzo & Perlman, 2007; Rubin et al., 1996). Furthermore, the language models available to children in homelessness may restrict their language development. For example, O’Neil-Pirozzi (2003) analyzed the speech and language performance of 25 mothers and their children of preschool age living in homeless shelters. The mothers’ language perfor (...truncated)