How may we close the learning gap in kindergarten children? A culturally responsive approach to teaching language and literacy skills

With the poverty rate of Hong Kong reaching 23.6%, the development and well-being of children from economically disadvantaged families becomes a concern for researchers, practitioners, and policy makers. Children with lower socioeconomic status (SES) backgrounds tend to have poorer development in early language and literacy skills, which may then adversely affect their later academic achievement and school success. This development gap between low- and middle-SES children may begin in kindergarten and persist throughout their formal education and beyond. This may be particularly true for ethnic minority groups, which often have to deal with not only economic pressure but also other stressors, including prejudice, discrimination, and cultural adaption. Composed of mostly Southeast Asians, ethnic minority groups constitute about 8% of the Hong Kong population. Importantly, the number of ethnic minority children continues to rise, underscoring the importance of increasing teachers’ multicultural competence and promoting the cultural integration among students in school. In this talk, the speaker will provide an overview about the language and literacy development among children from low-SES and ethnic minority families. The speaker will also explain how we may support these children by promoting culturally responsive teaching in kindergartens, providing professional training for early childhood educators and multicultural teaching assistants, and developing culturally responsive education benchmarks. Copyright © 2022 PECERA-HK.