Martine van der Pluijm

19 General introduction We aim to design an integrated approach that contributes to teachers working with parents and their focus on stimulatingchild language learning. Buildingon thebodyof knowledge that shows the effectiveness of SFPs, we design guidelines and tools to establish partnerships (e.g., Epstein, 1987; Hoover-Dempsey & Sandler, 1995; 1997; Lusse, 2013; Sheridan et al., 2011). Forming these SFPs requires teachers to transform their practices from a school-centered approach to one that recognizes the impact of the home environment in young children’s language development. Most teachers are not familiar with this insight since pre-service teacher education does not prepare candidates for this task directed at both children and parents (Epstein & Sanders, 2006; Thompson, Willemse, Mutton, Burn, & De Bruïne, 2018). Based on knowledge from empirical studies into FLPs and systematic testing, we develop guidelines for teachers to extend their SFPs with activities and strategies to enhance parental language support. Literature shows that this parent support requires teachers to adapt their guidance to families’ abilities and resources (e.g., Anderson & Morrison, 2011; Anderson, Anderson, & Rajagopal, (2017; Auerbach, 1989; Boyce et al., 2010; Landry, Smith, Swank, & Gutentag, 2008; Purcell Gates, 2017; Reese et al., 2010). Finally, this approach requires professional development activities for teachers that help them to engage parents to support their child’s language development and to develop the abilities to reliably convey the content of the program as intended. Supplementary to our design goals, the second aim of this research is to improve theoretical knowledge of programs that contribute to connecting the home and school environment to prevent delays in language development. To ensure the ecological validity of the design for both parents and teachers, we apply design- based research (DBR). This methodology acknowledges the need for extensive explorations of field problems to improve practice with an emphasis on theory building and developing design principles from the perspective of users (Anderson & Shattuck, 2012; Andriessen & Van Aken, 2011; Hoadley, 2004; Kessels, 1999; Plomp, 2009; Sandoval, 2014; Van den Akker, 2009). In line with methodological features of DBR (Anderson & Shattuck, 2012; Design-Based Research Collective, 2003), this thesis comprises a series of multiple case studies in the authentic context at seven primary schools in Rotterdam with large populations of disadvantaged families (e.g., low education, low income). Our research focuses on the systematic testing of prototypes for SFPs that support child language development. We evaluate the prototypes through a mixture of quantitative and qualitative data, collected on issues that contribute to our understanding of the ingredients of the design and possible improvements. Both parents and teachers are actively involved in the design process to establish ownership and to facilitate implementation. This interactive collaboration between stakeholders is the common thread of this thesis, respecting the autonomy of teachers and safeguarding reciprocal relationships with parents in line with the literature (Manz et al., 2010; Van Steensel et al., 2012). For this aim, the researchers will also fulfill the roles of designer and process-leader (Kessels, 1999; McKenney, Nieveen, & Van den Akker, 2006; Nieveen, 2009).