Deepening her commitment to support families and professionals in maximizing children’s learning potential through interventions and resources, Hsiu-Wen Yang, PhD, recently led a project focused on advancing outcomes for multi-language learners in rural, agricultural communities. Yang, a research investigator/technical assistance specialist at the UNC Frank Porter Graham Child Development Institute (FPG), collaborated with co-principal investigators Serra Acar, PhD, associate professor of Early Childhood Education and Care at the University of Massachusetts Boston, and Ching-I Chen, PhD, associate professor of early childhood intervention at Kent State University. Sarah Pedonti, PhD, assistant professor in the College of Education and Allied Professions at Western Carolina University, served as a consultant on the project.

Drawing on an existing data set that included program, teacher, child, and family data, the team examined how teachers can more effectively support young children in rural areas, particularly multilingual learners from agricultural families. Yang notes while most research focuses on children in urban settings, this project brings critical attention to rural communities. This study supports the development of practical resources for educators, families, and professionals working in rural multilingual agricultural communities by focusing on the experiences of children, their families, and their teachers.

“A teacher’s formal qualifications matter, but so does their connection to the families and community they serve,” said Yang. “When teachers understand their students’ backgrounds and languages, they create classrooms that feel safe, welcoming, and responsive to each child’s needs.”

The study examined how the quality of classroom environments relates to children's language and literacy outcomes. Researchers also explored teachers’ tailored instructional practices for this population and how those practices related to children's language and literacy outcomes. 

Key preliminary findings from the project identify two teacher profiles: one that is warm and responsive to students and offers a more structured, organized classroom environment and another marked by lower levels of classroom organization and responsiveness to child needs. The findings suggest that the most nurturing, warm, and well-organized classrooms—which are crucial to children’s learning—are led by teachers with more experience in rural, agricultural communities. These teachers also tend to have more experience in the field and training in dual language learning.

Yang said that from these insights, three priority strategies emerged for strengthening program quality and instructional practice:

1. Embed multilingual learner (MLL) training in pre-service preparation and ongoing professional development. 
2. Connect with families to incorporate their heritage, knowledge and strengths into classroom practices. 
3. Establish a peer-mentoring structure or career pathway to better prepare and retain teachers working with rural, agricultural communities where families are raising multilingual children. 

“A teacher’s formal qualifications matter, but so does their connection to the families and community they serve,” said Yang. “When teachers understand their students’ backgrounds and languages, they create classrooms that feel safe, welcoming, and responsive to each child’s needs.” She added that the study demonstrates that training in working with multilingual children helps teachers build warm and engaging environments. 

This project, “Promoting MSHS Development: Program Practices That Matter,” was funded by the Office of Planning, Research & Evaluation in the Administration for Children and Families at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (90YR0165).