Online Literacy Instruction for Young Korean Dual Language Learners in General Education
Twenty minutes of scripted Direct Instruction on Zoom taught Korean preschoolers English vocabulary and story skills in eight weeks.
01Research in Context
What this study did
Eight Korean preschoolers who spoke little English got daily one-to-one Zoom lessons. They used the Read it again-Pre-K! script for eight weeks.
Each 20-minute lesson had clear model-lead-test steps. The teacher showed the book on screen and asked set questions.
What they found
Every child learned new English words. All eight also read faster and answered more story questions correctly after the two months.
Gains showed up on weekly probes. Parents said kids started using English at home.
How this fits with other research
Barbash (2021) reminds us that Direct Instruction has worked for millions of kids. Kim’s study adds proof that the same DI script works online for Korean tots.
Reynolds et al. (2022) used DI plus prompt fading to teach college kids perfect pitch in one hour. Both studies show DI travels well to new places: music lab or Zoom screen.
Atherkode et al. (2024) looked at one multilingual child with autism. They say let the learner pick the language. Kim’s team did the opposite: they pushed English only. The two papers together tell us to test both choices.
Why it matters
You can run DI literacy lessons on Zoom and still get strong gains. If you serve dual-language families, try a short daily DI story session. Record the lesson so parents can replay it for five minutes at home. Check weekly with a quick story retell probe to be sure the words stick.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
English language development is a critical component for young children’s school readiness. In this study, we examined the effect of Read it again-Pre-K! (Justice and McGinty in Read it again!-Prek: a preschool curriculum supplement to promote language and literacy foundations, Crane Center for Early Childhood Research and Policy, Columbus, 2013), a literacy curriculum designed to prepare young children’s school readiness on the English literacy skills of Korean dual language learners in general education. Using a multiple probe design, eight 4- to 5-year-old Korean dual language learners (1 female, 7 males) received 1:1 online synchronous daily instruction over 2 months during the summer before entering their kindergarten programs. Through the intervention, all eight children demonstrated increases in the use of English vocabulary, story comprehension, and oral fluency. Post-intervention data on vocabulary and reading fluency through three standardized tests, Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early Literacy Skills, Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test, and Expressive Vocabulary Test, showed improvement over baseline for most children. Discussion and implications for future research were provided.
Journal of Behavioral Education, 2023 · doi:10.1007/s10864-022-09470-9