Page 30 - Second language development of newly arrived migrant kindergarteners - Frederike Groothoff

30 Chapter 1 compared based on an analysis of the pedagogical practices in the classroom interactions and activities through the observation of teachers in ten different schools. The focus in Chapter 6 is on teacher behavior. In Chapter 7, the pedagogical practices are investigated via the activities and interactions of the specific focal pupils. Chapter 7 zooms in on the focal pupils’ direct experiences and interactions with their teacher and peers. It also includes observations about the languages the pupils hear and speak during the day. In Chapter 8 the results from Chapters 4 to 7 come together: the findings from Chapter 6 and 7 about the characteristics of the school learning environment are taken into consideration as explanatory variables of the second language development found in Chapter 4 and 5. After chapter 8 we will answer the main research question: to what extent do pedagogical practices contribute to the second language development of newly arrived migrant kindergarteners in the first two-and-a-half years after arrival in the Netherlands? In Chapter 9 all significant outcomes of the studies on the language development and the pedagogical practices in the school learning environment of newly arrived migrant kindergarteners are presented. Chapter 9 then continues with the discussion of all the (sub) research questions. Additionally, in the conclusion the outcomes of our language measures and classroom observations will be evaluated in the light of the theoretical perspectives and the strengths and limitations of this study will be discussed. Chapter 9 includes the implications of this thesis for educational practices: what can teachers and school boards take away from the outcomes and insights of this study?