Differentiated bilingual vocabulary assessment reveals similarities and differences compared to monolinguals: Conceptual versus single-language scoring and the relation with home language and literacy activities

2019 ◽  
Vol 24 (4) ◽  
pp. 715-728
Author(s):  
Birgit Ehl ◽  
Gunnar Bruns ◽  
Michael Grosche
Keyword(s):  
Control Variable ◽  
Primary Students ◽  
Home Language ◽  
Educational Institutions ◽  
Bilingual Students ◽  
Language And Literacy ◽  
Expressive Vocabulary ◽  
Literacy Activities ◽  
Bilingual Group ◽  
Vocabulary Assessment

Purpose: As bilingual students often achieve lower scores than monolinguals in single-language vocabulary assessments, a deficit-oriented view of bilingualism is widespread in educational institutions. This study examined whether this alleged difference remains when the conceptual vocabulary scores of bilingual primary students are considered, and when home language and literacy activities are taken into account. Methods: Extensive expressive vocabulary measures were administered in both the environmental language (German) and the heritage language (Turkish) to simultaneous and sequential bilingual students, and to their monolingual peers. Their parents provided information about the frequency of home language and literacy activities. Data: The study included 302 students (5;9–10;9 years). 83 were simultaneous bilingual, 55 sequential bilingual and 164 monolingual. Comparisons on vocabulary were conducted via separate multiple regression analyses with frequency of home language and literacy activities as a control variable. Findings: In single-language vocabulary scores of the environmental language, simultaneous and sequential bilingual students scored lower than monolinguals. In contrast, and most importantly, there were no differences between either bilingual group and monolinguals with regard to conceptual vocabulary and the relationship between conceptual vocabulary and frequency of home language and literacy activities. Controlling for frequency of home language and literacy activities did not change these findings. Originality: This study compared the expressive single-language and conceptual vocabulary scores of simultaneous and sequential bilinguals with the scores of monolinguals in a large sample of primary students, for the first time additionally controlling for home language and literacy activities, with the German and Turkish languages. Implications: Because bilingual students have the same conceptual vocabulary scores as monolinguals, lower single-language vocabulary scores do not reflect a language deficiency.

Home language and literacy practices among immigrant second-language learners

2014 ◽  
Vol 47 (4) ◽  
pp. 414-449 ◽  
Author(s):  
L. Quentin Dixon ◽  
Shuang Wu
Keyword(s):  
Oral Language ◽  
Literacy Development ◽  
Second Language Learners ◽  
Literacy Practices ◽  
Community Context ◽  
Home Language ◽  
Book Reading ◽  
Language And Literacy ◽  
Literacy Activities ◽  
Children's Literacy

Because certain home language and literacy practices have been found to be beneficial to monolingual children's literacy development, we examine immigrant children's home language and literacy practices in different countries. Presenting findings from 92 post-2000 articles, we examine research into these practices, what factors influence their occurrence, how they influence immigrant children's development of literacy in the societal language, and what factors seem to moderate or mediate the effects of home literacy activities on societal-language literacy. We found that immigrant families engage in a wide variety of oral language and literacy activities at home, but that most of these practices have not been investigated in relation to immigrant children's literacy development. Book reading, the most-studied practice, seems to promote such development. Additional research is needed into the many factors that influence children's literacy development, including government policies and community context. In addition, researchers need to build on existing descriptive and correlational studies to design and implement innovative school curricula and family literacy programs that connect home and school practices and encourage parental involvement in the school.

scholarly journals Home Language and Literacy Environments and Early Literacy Trajectories of Low‐Socioeconomic Status Chilean Children

2020 ◽  
Vol 91 (6) ◽  
pp. 2042-2062
Author(s):  
Susana Mendive ◽  
Mayra Mascareño Lara ◽  
Daniela Aldoney ◽  
J. Carola Pérez ◽  
José P. Pezoa
Keyword(s):  
Socioeconomic Status ◽  
Early Literacy ◽  
Low Socioeconomic Status ◽  
Home Language ◽  
Language And Literacy ◽  
Low Socioeconomic ◽  
Literacy Environments

Influences of the home language and literacy environment on Spanish and English vocabulary growth among dual language learners

2021 ◽  
Vol 57 ◽  
pp. 27-39
Author(s):  
J. Marc Goodrich ◽  
Christopher J. Lonigan ◽  
Beth M. Phillips ◽  
JoAnn M. Farver ◽  
Kimberly D. Wilson
Keyword(s):  
Language Learners ◽  
Dual Language ◽  
Home Language ◽  
Dual Language Learners ◽  
Language And Literacy ◽  
Literacy Environment ◽  
Vocabulary Growth

The Impact of Home Language and Literacy Support on English-Chinese Biliteracy Acquisition among Chinese Heritage Language Learners

2011 ◽  
Vol 8 (2) ◽  
pp. 199-235
Author(s):  
Chan Lü ◽  
Keiko Koda
Keyword(s):  
Heritage Language ◽  
Literacy Skills ◽  
Vocabulary Knowledge ◽  
Home Language ◽  
Language And Literacy ◽  
Literacy Support ◽  
Oral Vocabulary ◽  
Chinese Heritage Language ◽  
The Impact ◽  
At Home

Studies on monolingual children have shown that home language and literacy support is crucial in children's early literacy acquisition. However, such support has not been examined as thoroughly among bilingual children, including heritage speakers. This study investigated the effect of home language and literacy support on important precursors of literacy skills including oral vocabulary knowledge, phonological awareness, and decoding skill in English and Chinese, among a group of 37 Chinese heritage language (CHL) learners. Our results suggest that the use of Chinese at home supported children's language and literacy skills in Chinese, especially their oral vocabulary knowledge; support of learning Chinese at home did not hinder children's acquisition of literacy skills in English. Implications for parents and teachers of CHL learners in relation to their biliteracy learning are discussed.

Critical Bilingual Leadership for Emergent Bilingual Students

2015 ◽  
pp. 446-470 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joseph Wiemelt
Keyword(s):  
Critical Race Theory ◽  
School Leadership ◽  
Literacy Development ◽  
Transformative Leadership ◽  
Leadership Theory ◽  
Bilingual Students ◽  
Language And Literacy ◽  
Emergent Bilingual ◽  
Language And Literacy Development ◽  
Emergent Bilingual Students

The overarching goal of this chapter is to examine and understand the role that school leadership plays in fostering the educational space where language and literacy development are central to the vision of a school community for emergent bilingual students. With this in mind, traditional school leadership theory and practice are insufficient to truly foster the culturally and linguistically responsive schools that are needed for emergent bilingual students. Therefore, this chapter presents critical bilingual leadership theory as an innovative conceptual framework aimed at answering this challenge. Drawing from transformative leadership and Latin@ critical race theory, this framework situates the role of equity-oriented leadership in the context of fostering language and literacy development for emergent bilingual students.

Critical Bilingual Leadership for Emergent Bilingual Students

2016 ◽  
pp. 1606-1631
Author(s):  
Joseph Wiemelt
Keyword(s):  
Critical Race Theory ◽  
School Leadership ◽  
Literacy Development ◽  
Transformative Leadership ◽  
Leadership Theory ◽  
Bilingual Students ◽  
Language And Literacy ◽  
Emergent Bilingual ◽  
Language And Literacy Development ◽  
Emergent Bilingual Students

The overarching goal of this chapter is to examine and understand the role that school leadership plays in fostering the educational space where language and literacy development are central to the vision of a school community for emergent bilingual students. With this in mind, traditional school leadership theory and practice are insufficient to truly foster the culturally and linguistically responsive schools that are needed for emergent bilingual students. Therefore, this chapter presents critical bilingual leadership theory as an innovative conceptual framework aimed at answering this challenge. Drawing from transformative leadership and Latin@ critical race theory, this framework situates the role of equity-oriented leadership in the context of fostering language and literacy development for emergent bilingual students.

Frequency Discrimination and Literacy Skills in Children With Mild to Moderate Sensorineural Hearing Loss

2005 ◽  
Vol 48 (5) ◽  
pp. 1187-1203 ◽  
Author(s):  
L. F. Halliday ◽  
D. V. M. Bishop
Keyword(s):  
Hearing Loss ◽  
Sensorineural Hearing Loss ◽  
Word Reading ◽  
Phase Locking ◽  
Frequency Discrimination ◽  
Sensorineural Hearing ◽  
Nonword Repetition ◽  
Language And Literacy ◽  
Expressive Vocabulary ◽  
Nonword Reading

It has been suggested that specific reading disability (SRD) may be attributable to an impaired ability to perceive spectral differences between sounds that leads to a deficit in frequency discrimination and subsequent problems with language and literacy. The objective of the present study was threefold. We aimed to (a) determine whether children with mild to moderate sensorineural hearing loss were impaired in their ability to discriminate frequency, (b) assess the extent to which any such deficits may be due to an inability to use information derived from phase locking, and (c) examine whether frequency discrimination abilities were predictive of measures of word and nonword reading and nonword repetition. Difference limens for frequency (DLFs) were obtained for 22 children with mild to moderate hearing loss (SNH group) and 22 age-matched controls (CA group) at central frequencies of 1 kHz, where phase-locking information is available, and 6 kHz, where it is not. A battery of standardized tests of language and literacy was also administered. The SNH group exhibited significantly elevated DLFs at both 1 and 6 kHz relative to controls, despite considerable variability of thresholds in both groups. Although no group differences were found for receptive and expressive vocabulary, receptive grammar, and nonword reading, the SNH group performed worse than controls on word reading and nonword repetition, even though word reading acores were age-appropriate. Frequency discrimination abilities were associated with reading and nonword repetition across groups, but these correlations largely disappeared when the two groups were analyzed separately. Together, these results provide evidence for a dissociation between impaired frequency discrimination and relatively "spared" language and literacy in children with mild to moderate sensorineural hearing loss. These results cast doubt on the assertion that a deficit in frequency discrimination necessarily leads to marked deficits in the development of language and literacy.

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