Abstract:
This study examined Chinese immigrant children’s home-kindergarten literacy experiences in Aotearoa New Zealand. Two focus children (aged 4), their parents, teachers and peers participated in the case study. Audio, video, artifact, and fieldnote data were collected in interviews, narrative tasks, and observations. Based on emergent and sociocultural perspectives of children’s early learning development, this study was framed by third-generation activity theory. Analysis revealed that daily conversations, computer games, book-reading, early drawing and writing were congruent literacy experiences across home and kindergarten for these two children. Use of different languages, topics, play equipment and communication rules across the two settings comprised incongruent early literacy experiences. Both congruent and incongruent experiences influenced their meaning making and meaning creating (i.e., understanding and responding).
