Background: Many children in early childhood programs speak different language/s to their educators. To learn this new language, these children need sufficient exposure to the new language through high-quality language models in meaningful contexts in their daily lives. In Iceland, such children have been shown to experience challenges learning Icelandic effectively during their preschool years and beyond. These difficulties with the language of education can have long-term negative consequences for children’s language, literacy, academic, social, and vocational outcomes. This paper will describe how an evidence-based intervention that was developed for English-language learners (World of Words) was culturally and linguistically adapted to support preschool-aged children’s learning of Icelandic in Iceland (Orðaheimurinn).

Aims: Often, interventions are developed and tested in one context and then used in different contexts where they may not be appropriate or maintain their therapeutic effect. This paper aims to highlight the importance of using interventions that are culturally responsive. The iterative process of cultural and linguistic adaptation of the American-English intervention World of Words to the Icelandic intervention Orðaheimurinn is presented to illustrate this.

Method: The four-step method used will be described. Firstly, document translation, theme/unit adaptation, target vocabulary selection, and educator material development will be described. Secondly, Orðaheimurinn was examined in a feasibility study with materials and procedures modified following feedback from participants. Thirdly, Orðaheimurinn was examined in a cluster randomised-controlled trial involving 200 children at 15 preschools. Finally, further adaptions were made to the materials and procedures, based on studies of fidelity and social validity. Research involving participants was approved by Visindasidanefnd [Icelandic Scientific Ethics Committee] and all participants provided consent.

Results: Using an iterative process has led to Orðheimurinn being an intervention that is culturally responsive to the Icelandic context and is also socially valid and evidence-based.

Conclusions: Methods for adapting interventions in culturally-responsive ways are key to implementing evidence-based interventions in new contexts.

Implications for children and families: You will learn about how multilingual children’s language development can be supported in early childhood education settings in ways that are culturally and linguistically responsive.

Implications for practitioners: You will gain insight into the things you need to think about when implementing evidence-based interventions in a context that is different to the context in which it was developed and tested.

Funding: Funding for this study was provided by the Education Research Fund [Mentarannsóknasiódur], grant number 219261-051, to Kathryn Crowe, Jóhanna T. Einarsdóttir, and Thora Másdóttir. Development of study materials was supported by Rannís Nýsköpunarsjóður Námsmanna grants [219779-1101, 2210660-1101] to Svava Heiðarsdóttir and Sædís Dúadóttir Landmark, University of Iceland. Styrktarsjóðs Áslaugar Hafliðadóttur grants to Svava Heiðarsdóttir, Sædís Dúadóttir Landmark, Jóhanna T. Einarsdóttir, and Þóra Másdóttir, and a Þróunarsjóður Námsgagna grant [222540-5011] to Sædís Dúadóttir Landmark and Svava Heiðarsdóttir. Both World of Words and Orðaheimurinn are freely available and there is no financial benefit to the authors.

Key words: innovations, communication, early literacy, education, vulnerable communities, international communities, quantitative methods, multilingual, Icelandic, language, vocabulary, shared reading, intervention, early intervention, early childhood education

This presentation relates to the following United Nations Sustainable Development Goals:

• SDG 3: Good Health and Well-being
• SDG 4: Quality Education
• SDG 10: Reduced Inequalities
• SDG 11: Sustainable Cities
• SDG 13: Climate Action
• SDG 14: Life Below Water
• SDG 15: Life on Land