Abstract
With dual language learners falling behind their same-age peers at the beginning of kindergarten, understanding how school experiences can enhance language learning is critical. This study demonstrates how play among preschool-aged children can foster English language learning. Using an ethnographic approach, one classroom composed of two teachers and 17 four- to five-year-old children was observed and videotaped during Free Play. Interactional analyses of four Spanish-speaking children’s play scenarios with their same-language peers and English-speaking peers illustrate how through these social interactions their oral English language was supported and, at times, hindered. The implications for play as an avenue for supporting English language learning in the classroom are discussed.
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