Interaction between children with delayed language development and their pre-school teachers

About the project

The use of language in interaction is essential for the development of language and communication skills in children (Bruner 1983; Hansson et al. 2000). For children with a language delay in their pre-school years practicing these skills early on in their development is even more important. Thus several studies show that these children are at risk for carrying language difficulties also later on in their development (Bishop 1997; Leonard 1998; Hulmes & Snowling 2008). Due to the increasing amount of hours spent in pre-school, pre-school teachers play a critical role when it comes to supporting children’s language development in interaction.

 The aim of this ph.d. project is threefold:

  • To investigate the character of interactions between language-delayed children and their pre-school teachers
  • To document pre-school teachers own experience of interactions with language-delayed children
  • To gather information on the transition from pre-school to school for children with a language delay

This study explores the character of interactions between language delayed children and their pre-school teachers from a dialogical perspective. It aims at investigating the character of the interactions with a focus on language stimulation. The study is designed as a longitudinal multiple case study. 7 children with delayed language development are followed during their last year in pre-school and their first year in primary school. Various kinds of observational and interview data as well as data on individual language skills are collected.

Responsible: Jana Kruse; Bente Hagtvet (supervisor)

Published Oct. 21, 2010 2:33 PM - Last modified Aug. 6, 2013 1:03 PM