Using emergent bilingual children’s L1 during interactive book reading: a sequential analysis of vocabulary-focused interaction

Despite growing recognition of emergent bilinguals’ first language (L1) as a resource for vocabulary development, little is known about how L1 use shapes vocabulary-focused interaction during interactive book reading (IBR), particularly when teachers do not share children’s L1s. This study examined vocabulary-focused interaction during small-group IBR with 43 Turkish-Dutch emergent bilinguals across three conditions: an L2-only condition and two conditions in which the adult reader strategically elicited children’s L1 to discuss vocabulary, either without or with support of a translation tool. Forty-five IBR sessions were analysed to examine how interactional space was organized and which communicative acts elicited children’s responses in L1 and L2 of varying length. Results showed that conditions strategically integrating L1 were associated with greater child participation, with L2 production remaining prominent across conditions. Sequential analyses showed that longer L2 responses often followed meaning-making through L2 semantic scaffolding or L1-mediated meaning-making followed by L2 reformulation. These findings highlight how interactional organization and strategic L1 use can create pathways towards more elaborated L2 vocabulary talk during IBR.