Preschool teachers' simultaneous use of L1 and L2 with dual language learners to bridge L1 to connect with L2: Evidence from Ghana

This study examined the degree to which preschool teachers' simultaneous use of L1 and L2 pedagogical practices support Akan (L1) and English (L2) dual language learners’ linguistic development at the kindergarten level in Ghana. Using a pre-test-posttest experimental design, the study investigated teachers’ responsive practices that facilitate the connection from L1 to L2. The experimental group taught by teachers with linguistic responsive practices, such as reading books concurrently in L1 and L2 to children, reading poems to expose children to sounds of L1 and L2, utilising dual language learners' L1 language as resources in the learning process and encouraging higher level thinking in both L1 and L2, outperformed the control group taught with only L2 with no linguistic responsive practices. There was a significant difference observed in the scores for the experimental group (M= 80.10, SD= 5.753) and the control group (M= 56.24, SD= 8.304) for all the five measurement constructs at t(198)=23.62 ,p<0.001. This supported the evidence that when L1 and L2 are simultaneously designed for dual language learners at the preschool level, it facilitates the bridging of L1 to connect with L2.