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Preschool language exposure and use: A comparison study of dual-language learners and English monolingual children |
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| Authors: | Ji Young Choi Craig K. Van Pay Constance C. Beecher |
| Affiliation: | 1. Department of Human Sciences and Crane Center for Early Childhood Research and Policy, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio, USA;2. Early Childhood Education Institute, University of Oklahoma-Tulsa, Tulsa, Oklahoma, USA;3. School of Education, Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa, USA Contribution: Methodology, Resources, Software, Writing - review & editing |
| Abstract: | This study explored the language experiences of dual language learners (DLL; n = 19) and English monolinguals (EM; n = 13) in preschool classrooms where English is the primary language of instruction and many home languages are present. Using the Language ENvironment Analysis™ system as a primary tool, we quantitatively analysed an average of 34 hours of recordings collected over 5–8 days for each participating child (Mage = 52 months) in six classrooms. Results showed that, during a typical preschool day, DLLs spoke as much as EMs but received less adult talk overall and had more 5-min segments with zero adult–child conversations than their EM peers. Follow-up analyses revealed that teachers generally talked less when children initiated the conversations than when adults initiated the conversations, and this pattern was particularly evident for DLLs. Study implications and future research are discussed. |
| Keywords: | child-initiated talk dual-language learners preschool language exposure and use |