The Twisting and (Re)Connecting of Conducting Research During COVID-19

Abstract

This presentation is driven from my on-going doctoral research on examining the use of children’s literature in English-Chinese bilingual education in the Canadian context. However, instead of demonstrating some potential findings and implications, it more focused on my experience of the twisting and (re)connecting in the process of conducting the research during the pandemic of COVID-19. Underpinned by sociocultural perspectives on literacy (Kress 2000; New London Group 1996; Perry 2012; Unrau and Alvermann 2013), and the continua of biliteracy (Hornberger and Skilton-Sylvester 2003), my research first examined what type of children’s literature that teachers and parents often or prefer to use with bilingual children. Secondly, it investigated what role children’s literature plays in bilingual children’s language and literacy development. Finally, it explored how teachers’ and parents’ experiences and perspectives with children’s literature may impact their pedagogical practices in bilingual education.