The purpose of this study is to understand why recent adoptees from China are experiencing difficulties in the areas of language and literacy upon entering elementary school. The reason for these struggles is unknown. These children are spending their early years in an institution, being adopted at older ages than previous Chinese adoptees, and acquiring a “second first-language” after first language development occurs (Meese, 2005; Scott, Pollock, Roberts, and Krakow, 2013; Scott, Roberts, & Krakow, 2008).
The following questions will guide the study.
1. Why are children adopted from China experiencing problems with language and literacy as they enter elementary school?
2. How does the age at adoption, along with the initial development of the child’s first language, affect children’s overall language skills upon entering school?
3. What is the relationship between the time children spend grasping the English language and difficulties they have with language/literacy in school during their early elementary years?
This study is one involving qualitative research, as I will be looking primarily at non-numerical data in my study. Since my study will be survey-based, using an interview type of format, I am using the phenomenological design. The phenomenological design has an emphasis on narratives, with a strong interest in the stories people tell (Davidsen, 2013). My goal through this study is to learn, through these children’s parents, about the possible struggles their children are having with language and literacy post-adoption, especially upon entering elementary school. Follow-up interviews will be used, as needed, to ensure that all information is included for analyzing and interpreting. With this design focusing on the individual experiences of people, I felt it best suited my dissertation project.
References
Davidsen, A.S. (2013). Phenomenological approaches in psychology and health sciences. Qualitative Research in Psychology. 10(3), 318-339.
Meese, R.L. (2005). A few new children: Post-institutionalized children of international adoption. The Journal of Special Education, 39(3), 157-167.
Scott, K.A., Pollock, K., Roberts, J.A., & Krakow, R. (2013). Phonological processing skills of children adopted internationally. American Journal of Speech-Language Pathology, 22, 673-683.
Scott, K.A., Roberts, J.A., & Krakow, R. (2008). Oral and written language development of children adopted from China. American Journal of Speech-Language Pathology, 17, 150-160.
