Supporting language development in preschools:kindergartens in Lebanon - exploring respective roles of teachers and Speech and Language Therapists_1350.pdf
[en] Background : It is widely recognized that professionnal’s beliefs about language development can impact practices in the field of preventing language and literacy difficulties (Piasta et al., 2009; Dickinson & Brady, 2006). This study focuses on the context of kindergartens in Lebanon. It aims to explore practices, identify needs, barriers and motivations for the implementation of a language intervention program, led jointly by speech therapists and teachers in the multilingual and multicultural context of lebanon. International recommendations highlight the necessity for SLTs to conceptualize their intervention, according to community based needs, focusing on primary prevention for early language difficulties, given their later impact on social and professional integration (Law et al. 2013).
Method: A survey study through questionnaires developed according to Lebanese context specifications will be proposed to: 1) school principals, 2) kindergarten teachers, 3) Speech therapists. Each questionnaire will include items about language support practices, professional roles, and the collaboration between SLTs and teachers in Lebanese Kindergartens.
Results:The expected results are intended to describe the realities of kindergartens in Lebanon, to define knowledge in the area of support and prevention for language difficulties in kindergarten. It will help to illustrate representations of the role of SLTs in language support and prevention, as well as opportunities of collaboration with preschool teachers, to adapt and implement a co-intervention program that partners teachers and SLTs. We predict an influence of different factors such as training, cultural differences, different conceptualizations of the role of language in learning. This study is a part of a wider project on prevention practices in Lebanon. Results will be analyzed along with the study targeting nurseries/daycares in the same context.
Disciplines :
Human health sciences: Multidisciplinary, general & others
Author, co-author :
El Kouba, Edith ; Université de Liège - ULiège > Logopédie > Form. doct. sc. psycho. & éduc. (paysage)