The Effects of Home-Based English Language Activities on Thai Preschoolers’ English Vocabulary Development: A Study of Thai Preschoolers with Limited English Proficiency Parents
Keywords:
home-based English language activities, limited English proficiency parents, receptive vocabulary, Thai preschoolers, English vocabulary knowledgeAbstract
This study investigates the effects of using a set of home-based English language activities (HELAs) on Thai preschoolers’ receptive vocabulary development and explores the opinions of parents with limited English proficiency (LEP) in using the HELAs. The participants were 26 pairs of preschoolers and their parents. The instruments employed were as follows: a set of HELAs designed following the ADDIE instructional design model, pre- and post-vocabulary tests used to measure the preschoolers’ vocabulary development, a parent questionnaire, and a semi-structured interview. The parents implemented the HELAs at home for a period of four weeks. Each week, the HELAs included four activities: watching a fable video, learning target vocabulary from a vocabulary video, practicing with a picture card, and reading with parents. After the intervention period, the preschoolers showed significant gains in receptive vocabulary. Additionally, the interviews with parents revealed three key benefits of the HELAs that could lead to vocabulary development. These benefits included providing frequent exposure to vocabulary, creating opportunities for deliberate learning of vocabulary, and promoting learning through the combination of verbal (spoken words) and nonverbal (pictures) codes. Furthermore, the findings revealed that LEP parents had positive attitudes toward using HELAs. These findings not only support the effectiveness of using various HELAs in enhancing vocabulary knowledge but also offer insights for involving LEP parents in using HELAs.
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