Influence of Parent-Child Interaction through Reading of Books on SLA - Socio-Cultural Approach

Influence of Parent-Child Interaction through Reading of Books on SLA

  The purpose of the present study is to examine the effect of parent-child interaction through reading of books on second language acquisition based on socio-cultural theory. This qualitative case study used two methods: in-depth interviews and participant observations. Six Korean families with primary and secondary school students in the U.S. were recruited. Findings of the study indicated that children exposed to parent-child reading of books since infancy in Korea showed the highest proficiency in speaking and listening regardless of their age of exposure to the host country. The children before or right after primary school showed a high speaking proficiency without particular exposure to English in Korea. However, the children who were in puberty and had not regularly been exposed to parent-child reading of books showed different results about their proficiency in speaking depending on their personality. Outgoing and talkative children showed a high proficiency of speaking, while unsocial and quiet ones showed a relatively low proficiency of speaking. However, their low speaking proficiency was not closely related to their academic success in the mainstream schools.