Lucía I. Méndez, a current PhD candidate in the Division of Speech and Hearing Sciences, has been awarded a Research Scholar Grant by the Early Care Education and Head Start Research Scholars Grant Program to support her dissertation research.
Her dissertation, titled “A Culturally and Linguistically Responsive Vocabulary Approach for young Latino Dual Language Learners,” is conducted under the mentorship of Dr. Betsy Crais from DSHS and Dr. Dina Castro from the Frank Porter Graham Child Development Institute.
Méndez’ dissertation compares the gains and retention of English receptive vocabulary by preschool Latino dual language learners after the implementation of a culturally and linguistically responsive shared reading approach. Research results will contribute to the development of evidence-based instructional strategies to improve the quality of services for young DLLs and inform policy for multicultural services to diverse children and families.