The Potential of iPad Apps to Support Vocabulary Development in Children Learning English as an Additional Language

Abstract

Young children from various cultural backgrounds are being encouraged to learn English, as this is a widely used language in intercultural settings. Learning a new language involves, in part, developing vocabulary. The aim of this qualitative case study was to explore the role of an Apple iPad application in supporting English vocabulary building. The participants were children aged from four to six years learning English as an Additional Language and Dialect (EAL/D) and their educators in two Australian Early Childhood Education Centres (ECECs). The study was conducted within a theoretical framework of sociocultural learning inspired by Vygotsky’s sociocultural theory, which provides insight into how children learn, particularly through play and interaction with others. Data were collected through observation of small groups of EAL/D children engaged in shared reading and vocabulary activities on an iPad app with an educator. Educators’ perspectives on the use of apps in their curriculum and on their experience of using the selected app for this study with the children were also studied. Overall, the study showed that iPad apps have the potential to support the language and vocabulary development of EAL/D children, and they can be used as a language-learning strategy in early childhood classrooms. It also showed that early childhood educators can benefit from learning more about how to utilise iPad apps as resources for language development, as part of their play-based pedagogies. In doing so, they need to start by evaluating the contents and features of apps, to select the apps that fit most closely with their pedagogical aims and teaching strategies.