Community report
A community which is the focus of an acquisition sketch study will likely have only limited research-based information regarding how children learn their language. It is therefore just as important to communicate the research findings to the local community, i.e. to give a “community report” (see Part II of our manual for suggestions).
This can be in the form of a formal written document, videos, and/or informal oral presentations or discussions. Both the format and the information to be included should be tailored to the needs and wishes of the community. Here are some options:
- A full alternative sketch covering everything you included in the academic report, but adjusted to a non-academic target group.
- Showcasing some highlights of children’s linguistic competence or caregiver’s nuanced practices of socialization and language teaching.
- Information on specific topics, e.g. developmental stages, or the extent to which children are using and learning the language vs. other community languages.
- Working towards providing language assessment resources, or literacy- and education-focused resources (e.g. vocabulary checklists, primers).
In any case, please include a summary of your activities in your acquisition sketch as this may be a source of inspiration for others.
We strongly encourage you to consider, discuss, and plan community outputs from the outset of your project. Work with the community to determine what information they are most interested in and how best to provide it. Throughout the project you and the community may adjust these plans, but this can best be done as part of ongoing continued discussions. Do not let community outputs be an afterthought which can all too easily be left out when time or funding runs out.