Heritage Speakers and the School-Home Connection

The transition for young children from home to school is significant. There are many new expectations, a host of novel peers, new teachers, an unfamiliar daily routine, and a novel setting. While these changes are challenging for any young child, imagine if the transition included communicating in a language that is different from that used at home. This is the situation faced by many heritage language speakers who speak a home language that is different from the dominant language spoken in school. While the children may have knowledge of the dominant language, they may be not been entirely comfortable with this language.

Research has focused on how to facilitate school adaptation for children with a home language that differs from the dominant school language. One recent research study examined Latino children’s transition to kindergarten. It This study found that successful adaptation requires a strong home school connection. This connection can be fostered by regular meetings between the teacher and the parents, teachers that are bilingual and are trained to work with heritage language students, parents who recognize the importance of bilingualism, and teachers who understand the native culture of the child and their family.

Not only have these school home connection factors been found to support positive adaptation to school and academic success, they have also been found to influence how the child feels about their home language. Specifically, when these factors are present heritage speakers maintain a very positive view and connection with their home language.

Photo Credit: Michael Anderson on Unsplash.

Information for this piece was sourced from:

Parra Velasco, M. (2023). The home–school connection, the development of Spanish repertoires, and the school adaptation process in Latino children: a dynamic ecological understanding. Journal of World Languages, 9(1), 89-110. https://doi.org/10.1515/jwl-2022-0052