Rivers of multilingual reading : exploring biliteracy experiences among 8-13-year old heritage language readers

The Rivers of Reading methodology has been used previously to explore children’s reading development, but very little research focusing on multilingual children exists. Similarly, reading for pleasure in multiple languages has received little attention. This paper addresses both these gaps. Seven children aged 8-13, across six multilingual families in England, constructed Rivers of Reading – a critical incident technique linked to reading resources and experiences. These were supported by three interviews per family, over a period of 10–12 months, with children sharing detailed narratives linked to their reading and languages. This data set was coded to explore what influenced children’s choices for inclusion of resources in their narratives, as well as surrounding strategies and experiences. The study found that children had complex reasons for the inclusion of books and other reading material, many of which linked to what books represented for them in their language and literacy development. Asynchronous literacy development frustrated several children, but many had innovative ways to overcome these in their journey towards biliteracy. The Rivers of Reading methodology is particularly useful in exploring multilingual children’s reading pathways, facilitating family discussion around frustrations, support needs, and positive memories.