The relationship between bilingualism and the development of cognitive processes in problem solving

1998 ◽  
Vol 19 (1) ◽  
pp. 69-85 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ellen Bialystok ◽  
Shilpi Majumder
Keyword(s):  
Problem Solving ◽  
Language Proficiency ◽  
Language Background ◽  
Knowledge Processes ◽  
English Bilingual ◽  
Bilingual Group ◽  
English Speaking ◽  
Linguistic Groups ◽  
Grade 3 ◽  
Carry Over

AbstractThis study examined the effects of differing degrees of bilingualism on the nonverbal problemsolving abilities of children in grade 3. Three linguistic groups were compared on problem-solving tasks designed to measure control of attention or analysis of knowledge, processes previously shown to develop differently in monolingual and bilingual children solving linguistic problems (Bialystok, 1988). In this study, an English-speaking monolingual group was compared with a French–English bilingual group and a Bengali-English bilingual group. All of the children in the study were similar except for their language background. Tests of language proficiency confirmed that the French-English subjects were balanced bilinguals and that the Bengali-English subjects were partial bilinguals. The balanced French–English bilinguals showed better performance on the non-linguistic tasks requiring control of attention than both the partial bilingual group and the monolingual group. There were no differences found between the groups on the non-linguistic task requiring analysis of representational structures. These results indicate that balanced bilinguals carry over their linguistic advantage in control of attention into the non-linguistic domain.

scholarly journals Reticence is not a Virtue in Aviation: Improving English Speaking Proficiency of Future Aviation Specialists

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (2) ◽  
pp. 498-515
Author(s):  
Liudmyla Herasymenko ◽  
Svitlana Muravska ◽  
Maryna Lomakina ◽  
Nadiia Martynenko ◽  
Iuliia Mazurenko
Keyword(s):  
Problem Solving ◽  
Language Proficiency ◽  
English Language ◽  
Speaking Proficiency ◽  
Information Gap ◽  
Grammatical Skills ◽  
English Speaking ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Experimental Group ◽  
Speaking Skills

English language proficiency is a vital requirement for air-to-ground communication for aviation specialists. A special attention should be paid to developing speaking skills of future pilots, air traffic controllers and engineers. Our research has shown that future aviation specialists come across certain challenges in the process of communication in English: insufficient aviation knowledge to give an opinion, low motivation to speak, poor grammatical skills and insufficient knowledge of vocabulary items, uneven participation in discussions, and fear of making mistakes. To overcome these challenges some recommendations were formulated for teachers to follow. The problem-solving activities were chosen and designed to enhance students’ speaking skills. They include value-clarification tasks, discussions, role-plays, information-gap activities, describing pictures, and discussing videos. This research aims to define the impact of applying these problem-solving activities on developing students’ speaking skills. 120 second year students in aviation specialties took part in this experiment. They were divided into a control and an experimental group of equal numbers. In both groups, the teachers taught the same Aviation English content which corresponded to the syllabus. In addition, in the experimental group the teacher implemented the problem-solving activities, which contributed significantly to the development of future aviation specialists’ speaking skills.

Effects of language background on measures of ability of children in their first year of school

2009 ◽  
Vol 26 (1) ◽  
pp. 20-35
Author(s):  
Esther Care ◽  
Erin Roberts ◽  
Amanda Thomas
Keyword(s):  
School Readiness ◽  
Student Performance ◽  
Language Proficiency ◽  
Limited English Proficiency ◽  
English Language ◽  
First Year ◽  
Proficiency Tests ◽  
Language Background ◽  
Ability Tests ◽  
English Speaking

AbstractThis report outlines the usefulness and appropriateness of three commonly used tests of ability for Preparatory level (Prep) children in Victoria, Australia, from non-English speaking backgrounds. Traditional school readiness and ability tests are dependent on knowledge of the English language, and thus may not be valid tools for assessing students with limited English proficiency. Tests that measure both verbal and nonverbal abilities were administered to 32 children, 14 from English speaking and 18 from non-English speaking backgrounds. Differences between the two groups of children are reported with a focus on interpretation in the context of effect of English language proficiency on performance. The results indicate that student performance on a variety of tests is constrained by English language knowledge, rather than by actual cognitive ability.

scholarly journals Using parental questionnaires to investigate the heritage language proficiency of bilingual children

2018 ◽  
Vol 34 (2) ◽  
pp. 155-170 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kirsten Abbot-Smith ◽  
Patrycja Morawska-Patera ◽  
Magdalena Łuniewska ◽  
Megan Spruce ◽  
Ewa Haman
Keyword(s):  
Language Proficiency ◽  
Heritage Language ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Risk Index ◽  
Bilingual Children ◽  
Education Professionals ◽  
Bilingual Group ◽  
English Speaking ◽  
And Gender ◽  
Polish Adaptation

We asked whether parental questionnaires on the heritage language proficiency of bilingual children might elucidate how proficient bilingual children are in their heritage language. We tested 20 UK-based Polish–English bilingual children between 4;5 and 5;9 years on Polish and English versions of the Cross-linguistic Lexical Tasks (CLTs). These comprise receptive and expressive picture tasks. Our bilingual group performed significantly worse on the Polish CLTs than on the English CLTs overall. They also performed significantly worse on the English CLTs than did an age- and gender-matched group of monolingual English-speaking children. Therefore our bilingual sample represent the type of bilinguals for whom education professionals have difficulty determining whether weak English is due to diminished English input vs. an underlying speech, language or communication need. Parents of the bilinguals completed a Polish adaptation of the Children’s Communication Checklist 2. They also completed the Parents of Bilingual Children Questionnaire (PaBiQ), which includes risk factor measures (‘No Risk Index’ and children’s ‘Current Language Skills’). The PaBiQ also includes measures of the Amount and Length of Exposure to the majority language (English) prior to age four as well as the Proportion of English in the current input. For the bilingual sample the CCC2 General Communication Composite (GCC), which measures structural language, significantly predicted Polish CLT production, uniquely accounting for 25% of the variance. The parent-rated PaBiQ ‘Current Polish Skills’ section predicted the Polish CLT comprehension. While the PaBiQ measure of Amount and Length of English Exposure was related to both Polish comprehension and production, it did not retain significance in a regression analysis. Therefore, parental questionnaires of the heritage language could provide a useful first step for education professionals when deciding whether to refer bilingual children for speech and language assessment. Large scale studies are needed to further develop these parental questionnaires.  

‘Once upon a time in Bearland’: Longitudinal development of fictional narratives in South African children

2016 ◽  
Vol 37 (2) ◽  
pp. 150-167 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ingrid Willenberg
Keyword(s):  
Cultural Context ◽  
Maternal Education ◽  
Oral Narrative ◽  
Book Reading ◽  
Narrative Development ◽  
Lexical Diversity ◽  
Language Background ◽  
Narrative Skills ◽  
English Speaking ◽  
Grade 3

Children’s narrative skills have been widely studied in North America, but there is a paucity of African research. Within South Africa’s diverse socio-cultural context, this study of mixed-race children explored the development of narrative production and the influence of home background variables. Using the Bear Story picture prompt, this longitudinal study investigated the fictional oral narrative skills of 70 English-speaking children in kindergarten and Grade 3. Four key findings emerged: first, with age, narratives increased in lexical diversity, macrostructure elements and written discourse features. However, there was no increase in evaluation, thus highlighting the complexity and nonlinear nature of narrative development. Second, early book reading experiences in the home were positively associated with Grade 3 narrative macrostructure. Third, there were no associations between narrative abilities and maternal education or mothers speaking a first language other than English, underscoring the importance of parental behaviours above factors such as education and language background. Finally, contrary to expectations, the findings suggest more similarities than differences between these children and their peers in other contexts.

Polysyllabic shortening in speakers exposed to two languages

2018 ◽  
Vol 21 (3) ◽  
pp. 471-478 ◽  
Author(s):  
TODD A. GIBSON ◽  
CONNIE SUMMERS
Keyword(s):  
Language Proficiency ◽  
Motor Patterns ◽  
Bilingual Speakers ◽  
English Bilingual ◽  
English Speaking ◽  
Linguistic Transfer ◽  
Speech Motor

Polysyllabic shortening is used to maintain stress-timed rhythm in English, but used negligibly in Spanish. It is unknown how polysyllabic shortening is influenced when individuals are exposed to one language that employs it and one that does not. We calculated polysyllabic shortening for 35 functionally monolingual English-speaking adults and 19 relatively balanced Spanish–English bilingual peers who repeated English and Spanish nonwords. Results showed that speech motor patterns learned early in life might be sufficient to block cross-linguistic transfer of polysyllabic shortening despite limited language proficiency, and bilingual speakers appear to signal membership in the majority language by increasing polysyllabic shortening.

Teaching and Researching American Literature and American Realism in China

2019 ◽  
pp. 647-663
Author(s):  
Yuping Wang
Keyword(s):  
American Literature ◽  
Language Proficiency ◽  
Chinese Culture ◽  
Cultural Transformation ◽  
Cultural Norms ◽  
Careful Study ◽  
Chinese History ◽  
Political Incentives ◽  
History Of ◽  
English Speaking

The study and teaching of American literature and American realism in China mirrored the social development and cultural transformation in China and was often fueled by political incentives. This chapter examines the cultural and political forces affecting the reception of American literature in different stages of Chinese history and investigates the teaching of American literature and of American realism in Chinese university classrooms. Different from the teaching of American literature in English-speaking countries, the American literature course in China serves a twofold purpose: to provide cultural nutrient for the cultivation of a broader mind by highlighting the cultural norms and rubrics in literature and to promote students’ language proficiency by a careful study of the text and formal elements of literary works. The history of the Chinese reception of American literature thus reflects the resilience and openness of Chinese culture in its negotiation with foreign cultures.

A novel approach to assessing language proficiency in adults: A pre-pilot classification accuracy study

2021 ◽  
pp. 136700692199945
Author(s):  
Amy Louise Schwarz ◽  
Maria Resendiz ◽  
Laura Catarina Herrera ◽  
Maria Diana Gonzales
Keyword(s):  
Outcome Measures ◽  
Language Proficiency ◽  
Classification Accuracy ◽  
Service Providers ◽  
Research Question ◽  
Likelihood Ratios ◽  
Self Assessment ◽  
Proficiency Levels ◽  
English Bilingual ◽  
Accuracy Study

Aims and objectives/purpose/research questions: Speech–language pathologists who speak more than one language and who are members of the American Speech–Language–Hearing Association self-identify in one yes/no question whether they have the proficiency level to be bilingual service providers. This research note describes a preliminary attempt to address the very practical issue of whether and in what circumstances Spanish–English bilinguals can accurately judge their proficiency levels in both languages. The research question is: Will bilingual adults accurately identify their first language and second language proficiency levels using a self-assessment when compared to a commonly used standardized norm-referenced test (SNRT) in both formal and informal contexts across the following outcome measures: (a) overall proficiency; (b) listening; (c) speaking; (d) reading; and (e) writing? Design/methodology/approach: Classification accuracy studies require at least 34 participants. Thirty-nine participants completed the commonly used Language Use Questionnaire (LUQ) self-assessment and the commonly used Woodcock–Muñoz Language Survey SNRT (WMLS-III). For this pre-pilot study, participants were Spanish–English bilingual university students. Data and analysis: Forty likelihood ratios (LRs) were calculated. Benchmarks for interpreting LRs for classification accuracy studies were applied to identify the likelihood of an individual being proficient or non-proficient in two languages. Findings/conclusions: For the overall proficiency and formal speaking proficiency outcomes in Spanish, positive LRs met the benchmark for strong agreement. Originality: The current study is the first to show that Spanish–English bilingual adults can accurately judge their Spanish proficiency levels for two specific outcome measures. Significance/implications: These results are important for two reasons. First, they suggest that Spanish–English bilingual adults can accurately judge their overall proficiency levels in Spanish. Second, they identify which outcome measures from the LUQ and WMLS-III should be considered in a future classification accuracy study.

Character introduction in two languages: Its development in the stories of a Spanish-English bilingual child age 6;11–10;11

2003 ◽  
Vol 6 (3) ◽  
pp. 227-243 ◽  
Author(s):  
ESTHER ÁLVAREZ
Keyword(s):  
English School ◽  
School Age ◽  
Appropriate Use ◽  
Bilingual Child ◽  
Specific Language ◽  
English Bilingual ◽  
English Speaking ◽  
Characteristic Style ◽  
Autonomous Development ◽  
Child Age

It is a matter of debate whether the two differentiated grammatical systems in a bilingual child develop autonomously, or whether there is interdependence and in what areas (Genesee, 2001; Meisel, 2001). Extensive research is being carried out in the emergence of the two grammars, but not much attention has been given to the development of discourse in simultaneous bilinguals. This study examines longitudinal narrative data from a Spanish-English school-age simultaneous bilingual child, and, in particular, the development of character introductions in the story. The child's stories in both languages show similar degrees of appropriate use of grammatical means for discourse purposes during the period under study and inadequacies are related not to the specific language used by the child, but to semantic and syntactic factors that promote or hinder appropriateness and affect both languages equally. The child follows the characteristic style identified for each of the two languages in studies of monolingual Spanish- and English-speaking children and adults. This indicates an autonomous development. However, there is also evidence that the two styles are not as differentiated as might be expected in comparison with monolinguals. These results support the view that, although the two languages of a bilingual child develop autonomously to a great extent, there are certain aspects which develop interdependently (Genesee, 2001).

scholarly journals Maternal drinking and smoking. Can it explain the exceptional academic performance of LBOTE children? A preliminary analysis

2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Louisa Gibson ◽  
Melanie Porter
Keyword(s):  
Academic Performance ◽  
English Language ◽  
Breastfeeding Duration ◽  
Growing Up ◽  
National Assessment ◽  
Language Background ◽  
Maternal Alcohol ◽  
Assessment Program ◽  
Grade 3 ◽  
Using Data

Abstract Objective Although children from language backgrounds other than English (LBOTE) may be disadvantaged in English-reliant exams, they outperform children from an English language background (ELB) on many Australian National Assessment Program–Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN) assessments. Maternal alcohol and tobacco use during pregnancy and/or breastfeeding have been associated with poorer cognitive and academic performance. Using data from the Growing Up in Australia Study, this paper aimed to identify demographic, lifestyle, and prenatal and perinatal risk differences related to maternal tobacco and alcohol use between LBOTE and ELB groups, as a first step in trying to understand the academic performance differences. Results Only data from breastfed babies was included in the current analyses. Although LBOTE children were disadvantaged in several demographic areas, their NAPLAN performance was the same or superior to ELB children across all Grade 3 and 5 NAPLAN assessments. The LBOTE group were, however, breastfed for longer, and their mothers smoked fewer cigarettes and drank less alcohol on fewer occasions throughout their pregnancy. The LBOTE mothers also had lower or less risky patterns of alcohol consumption while breastfeeding. The longer breastfeeding duration of LBOTE children combined with lower maternal use of alcohol and cigarettes during pregnancy and/or breastfeeding may partially contribute to their exceptional NAPLAN performance.

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