Parallel development of writing in Hebrew, Spanish and English in a multilingual child

Abstract

This is a year long in-depth, longitudinal case study of Noa, a six-year-old female in a bilingual first grade class which documents and analyzes her literacy development in a multilingual setting. Data collection for the study includes: written artifacts, anecdotal records, informal interviews with Noa, formal interviews with Noa's teachers, and videotapes. The research questions and their answers are summarized as: (1) What types of written genres does Noa develop? Noa developed 25 different written genres. The genres were categorized according to the distinction between language as an end in itself and language as a means toward an end, based on Halliday's ideas of learning about language and learning through language. (2) How does Noa use Hebrew, English and Spanish in her writing development? English was Noa's predominant written language. Only 10% of Noa's writings were written in languages other than English. (3) How does Noa use technology in her literacy development? Noa used the computer for two main reasons: as a stylistic device and as an ownership device. (4) What kind of questions does Noa ask about language learning? Noa wondered aloud about language intensively during the duration of the study. (5) What types of tensions influence Noa's writings? Three types of tensions were documented: Language learning: between invention and convention. The genres categorized as language as an end in itself did not show any development throughout the year. In the genres categorized as language as a means toward an end, the tension between inventions and conventions were obvious and gave a clear sense of Noa's literacy development. Settings: between home and school. The settings in which Noa wrote impacted her writings. All of the genres related to language as an end in itself were explored in the school setting only. Important relations between Noa's writing experiences at home and in the school were discussed. Editing: between teacher centered and student centered. Noa's editing provides insight about teacher centered and student centered editing. Noa's assimilation and accommodation of the teacher's editing behaviors and the student centered editing were discussed.