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Fitton L, Goodrich JM, Thayer L, Pratt A, Luna R. Bilingual Vocabulary Assessment: Examining Single-Language, Conceptual, and Total Scoring Approaches. JOURNAL OF SPEECH, LANGUAGE, AND HEARING RESEARCH : JSLHR 2023; 66:3486-3499. [PMID: 37541317 PMCID: PMC10558146 DOI: 10.1044/2023_jslhr-22-00573] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/03/2022] [Revised: 02/17/2023] [Accepted: 05/16/2023] [Indexed: 08/06/2023]
Abstract
PURPOSE This study explored approaches for measuring vocabulary among bilingual children with varying levels of proficiency in Spanish and English. METHOD One hundred fifteen kindergarten and first-grade Spanish-English-speaking children completed measures of vocabulary and sentence repetition in Spanish and English. Scores were derived from their responses to the vocabulary measure: Spanish-only vocabulary, English-only vocabulary, conceptual vocabulary, and total vocabulary. Best language sentence repetition was also obtained. Using both visualization of data and statistical analysis, we tested for potential associations between children's relative language skills in Spanish and English and the scores they received on each of the vocabulary metrics. RESULTS Participants' single-language vocabulary scores were linearly associated with their relative language scores. Higher relative Spanish language skills corresponded with higher Spanish-only vocabulary scores, and higher English language skills corresponded with higher English-only vocabulary scores. A quadratic association between children's relative language and their conceptual vocabulary scores was observed. Children with more balanced skills in Spanish and English received lower scores for conceptual vocabulary. No association between total vocabulary and relative language was observed. CONCLUSIONS Results revealed evidence of differential test bias for single-language vocabulary scores and conceptual vocabulary scores. Spanish-only vocabulary underestimated knowledge of participants with higher English proficiency, whereas English-only vocabulary underestimated knowledge of participants with higher Spanish proficiency. Conceptual scoring yielded lower values for participants with relatively balanced proficiency in Spanish and English. There is need for further consideration of score and test functioning across the full continuum of bilinguals with dynamic proficiencies in each of their languages. SUPPLEMENTAL MATERIAL https://doi.org/10.23641/asha.23796330.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lisa Fitton
- Department of Communication Sciences & Disorders, University of South Carolina, Columbia
| | - J. Marc Goodrich
- Department of Teaching, Learning & Culture, Texas A&M University, College Station
| | - Lauren Thayer
- Department of Teaching, Learning & Culture, Texas A&M University, College Station
| | - Amy Pratt
- Department of Communication Sciences & Disorders, University of Cincinnati, OH
| | - Rose Luna
- Department of Communication Sciences & Disorders, University of South Carolina, Columbia
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Bello A, Ferraresi P, Caselli MC, Perucchini P. The Predictive Role of Quantity and Quality Language-Exposure Measures for L1 and L2 Vocabulary Production among Immigrant Preschoolers in Italy. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AND PUBLIC HEALTH 2023; 20:1966. [PMID: 36767333 PMCID: PMC9914832 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph20031966] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/21/2022] [Revised: 01/15/2023] [Accepted: 01/16/2023] [Indexed: 06/18/2023]
Abstract
In this study, we investigated the lexical ability in L1 and L2 of 60 immigrant children who were 37 to 62 months old and exposed to minority languages (L1) and Italian (L2). Using the MacArthur-Bates Communicative Development Inventories, we measured children's vocabulary production in L1 and L2. From interviews, we collected data on quantitative language exposure (parental input, child output, length of exposure to L2 at preschool, and parental oral fluency) and qualitative home-language exposure (HLE) practices (active, play, and passive) in L1 and L2. We conducted stepwise regression analyses to explore which factors predicted children's vocabulary production in L1 and L2. The child's chronological age and parental education were not predictors of vocabulary production. L2 parental input, L1 child output, and L1 HLE-active practices explained 42% of the variance in children's L1 vocabulary production. L2 child output and L2 HLE-active practices explained 47% of the variance in children's L2 vocabulary production, whereas length of L2 exposure in preschool was a predictor only when we included quantitative language-exposure factors in the model. The effects of the quantity and quality of language exposure on lexical ability among preschool immigrant children are discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Arianna Bello
- Department of Education, Roma Tre University, Via Castro Pretorio 20, 00186 Roma, Italy
| | - Paola Ferraresi
- Department of Education, Roma Tre University, Via Castro Pretorio 20, 00186 Roma, Italy
| | - Maria Cristina Caselli
- Institute of Cognitive Sciences and Technologies, National Research Council, Via Nomentana 56, 00161 Rome, Italy
| | - Paola Perucchini
- Department of Education, Roma Tre University, Via Castro Pretorio 20, 00186 Roma, Italy
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Macdonald KT, Francis DJ, Hernandez AE, Castilla-Earls AP, Cirino PT. Characterization of English and Spanish language proficiency among middle school English learners with reading difficulties. BILINGUALISM (CAMBRIDGE, ENGLAND) 2022; 25:899-912. [PMID: 36644407 PMCID: PMC9838822 DOI: 10.1017/s1366728922000104] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/17/2023]
Abstract
Among bilinguals, language-related variables such as first and second language proficiency and balance may be related to important cognitive and academic outcomes, but approaches to characterizing these variables are inconsistent, particularly among at-risk samples of children. The current study employed comprehensive language assessment of English and Spanish language skills and contrasted various approaches to the characterization of language among at-risk ELs in middle school (N = 161). Specifically, we contrasted variable-centered and person-centered approaches, and convergence between objective and self-report measures. Findings support a two-factor structure of English and Spanish language skills in this population, three profiles of students (balanced, moderately unbalanced-higher Spanish, and very unbalanced-higher English), convergence between variable-centered and person-centered approaches, and mixed support for subjective indices of usage. Results provide a foundation from which to examine the roles of L1 and L2 proficiency as well as balance in important cognitive and academic outcomes in this at-risk and understudied population.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kelly T Macdonald
- Department of Psychology, Texas Institute for Measurement, Evaluation, and Statistics, University of Houston, Houston, Texas
| | - David J Francis
- Department of Psychology, Texas Institute for Measurement, Evaluation, and Statistics, University of Houston, Houston, Texas
| | - Arturo E Hernandez
- Department of Psychology, Texas Institute for Measurement, Evaluation, and Statistics, University of Houston, Houston, Texas
| | - Anny P Castilla-Earls
- Department of Communication Disorders and Sciences, University of Houston, Houston, Texas
| | - Paul T Cirino
- Department of Psychology, Texas Institute for Measurement, Evaluation, and Statistics, University of Houston, Houston, Texas
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Kehoe M, Poulin-Dubois D, Friend M. Within- and Cross-Language Relations Between Phonological Memory, Vocabulary, and Grammar in Bilingual Children. JOURNAL OF SPEECH, LANGUAGE, AND HEARING RESEARCH : JSLHR 2021; 64:4918-4948. [PMID: 34731575 PMCID: PMC9150685 DOI: 10.1044/2021_jslhr-21-00176] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/25/2021] [Revised: 06/30/2021] [Accepted: 08/09/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
PURPOSE This study investigated within-language and between-language associations between phonological memory, vocabulary, and grammar in French-English (n = 43) and Spanish-English (n = 25) bilingual children at 30, 36, and 48 months. It was predicted that phonological memory would display both within-language and between-language relations to language development and that these relations would be stronger at the youngest age. METHOD Bilingual children participated in free-play sessions in both of their languages at each age, from which vocabulary and grammatical information (number of different words and mean length of utterance) was extracted. Vocabulary information was also obtained from parent inventories completed when the children were 30 months and a standardized receptive vocabulary test administered at 36 and 48 months. The children were also administered nonword repetition tests in both of their languages at each age. RESULTS Mixed logistic regression indicated that phonological memory was associated with vocabulary and grammar within the same language and phonological memory in the other language. In two of the four statistical models, phonological memory exhibited positive between-language relations, and in one model, it exhibited negative between-language relations to language development. Results also indicated that within-language and between-languages effects remained constant, or between-language associations decreased during the age range studied. CONCLUSION Overall, the findings provide some support for cross-language associations between phonological memory and lexical and grammatical skills.
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Affiliation(s)
- Margaret Kehoe
- Department of Speech Therapy and Psycholinguistics, Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences, University of Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Diane Poulin-Dubois
- Developmental Cybernetics, Department of Psychology, Concordia University, Montréal, Quebec, Canada
| | - Margaret Friend
- Center for Clinical and Cognitive Neuroscience, Department of Psychology, San Diego State University, CA
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Kehoe M, Friend M, Poulin-Dubois D. Relations between phonological production, grammar and the lexicon in bilingual French-English children. THE INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF BILINGUALISM : CROSS-DISCIPLINARY, CROSS-LINGUISTIC STUDIES OF LANGUAGE BEHAVIOR 2021; 25:1576-1596. [PMID: 34867071 PMCID: PMC8637377 DOI: 10.1177/13670069211031987] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
AIMS AND OBJECTIVES This study examines multiple associations between language domains in bilingual children with a focus on phonology. Previous studies indicate within- but not cross-language associations between vocabulary and grammar in bilingual children. We investigate whether the relation between phonology and other language domains differs from the one reported between vocabulary and grammar. METHODOLOGY Canadian French-English bilingual children (n = 31), aged 31 months, participated in 2 free-play sessions, from which lexical, grammatical and phonological information was extracted. The children's parents completed the MacArthur-Bates Communicative Developmental Inventories and its Canadian French adaptation providing additional information on vocabulary and grammar in each of the children's languages. They also completed a questionnaire on their children's exposure to French and English. DATA ANALYSIS Within and cross-language relations between phonology, vocabulary and grammar were investigated using correlational analyses and mixed logistic regression. FINDINGS Correlational analyses did not reveal significant cross-language relations between phonology, vocabulary and grammar. However, mixed logistic regression, which controlled for language exposure effects, indicated that phonology was influenced by vocabulary and grammar both within and across languages. ORIGINALITY This study is one of the first to study cross-domain relations involving phonology in young bilingual children. IMPLICATIONS Overall, the findings suggest that phonology displays a pattern of relations that is different from other language domains engendering between-language effects due to a language-general component.
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Andreou M, Tsimpli IM, Masoura E, Agathopoulou E. Cognitive Mechanisms of Monolingual and Bilingual Children in Monoliterate Educational Settings: Evidence From Sentence Repetition. Front Psychol 2021; 11:613992. [PMID: 33551924 PMCID: PMC7855031 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2020.613992] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/04/2020] [Accepted: 12/14/2020] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Sentence repetition (SR) tasks have been extensively employed to assess bilingual children’s linguistic and cognitive resources. The present study examined whether monoliterate bilingual children differ from their monolingual (and monoliterate) peers in SR accuracy and cognitive tasks, and investigated links between vocabulary, updating, verbal and visuospatial working memory and SR performance in the same children. Participants were two groups of 35 children, 8–12 years of age: one group consisted of Albanian-Greek monoliterate bilingual children and the other of Greek monolingual children attending a monolingual-Greek educational setting. The findings demonstrate that the two groups performed similarly in the grammaticality scores of the SR. However, monolinguals outperformed the monoliterate bilinguals in SR accuracy, as well as in the visuospatial working memory and updating tasks. The findings did not indicate any bilingual advantage in cognitive performance. The results also demonstrate that updating and visuospatial working memory significantly predicted monolingual children’s SR accuracy scores, whereas Greek vocabulary predicted the performance of our monoliterate bilingual children in the same task. We attribute this outcome to the fact that monoliterate bilingual children do not rely on their fluid cognitive resources to perform the task, but instead rely on language proficiency (indicated by expressive vocabulary) while performing the SR.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maria Andreou
- Department of Philology, University of Ioannina, Ioannina, Greece.,Department of English, School of Arts and Humanities, University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany
| | - Ianthi Maria Tsimpli
- Department of Theoretical and Applied Linguistics, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom
| | - Elvira Masoura
- Department of Developmental and School Psychology, School of Psychology, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Thessaloniki, Greece
| | - Eleni Agathopoulou
- Department of Theoretical and Applied Linguistics, School of English, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Thessaloniki, Greece
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Bedore LM, Peña ED, Fiestas C, Lugo-Neris MJ. Language and Literacy Together: Supporting Grammatical Development in Dual Language Learners With Risk for Language and Learning Difficulties. Lang Speech Hear Serv Sch 2020; 51:282-297. [PMID: 32255748 PMCID: PMC7225020 DOI: 10.1044/2020_lshss-19-00055] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/05/2019] [Revised: 11/21/2019] [Accepted: 01/06/2020] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
Purpose Early Interventions in Reading (Vaughn et al., 2006), the only literacy intervention with demonstrated effectiveness for U.S. dual language learners, was enhanced to support the development of oral language (vocabulary, grammar, and narrative) and literacy, which we refer to as "Language and Literacy Together." The primary focus of this study is to understand the extent to which grammatical skills of bilinguals with risk for language and/or reading difficulties improve in the Language and Literacy Together intervention. Method Fifteen first-grade dual language learners with risk for language and/or reading difficulties participated in an enhanced version of Early Interventions in Reading in Spanish. Children completed pre- and postintervention evaluations in Spanish and English, including grammatical testing from the Bilingual English Spanish Oral Screener (Peña et al., 2008) and narrative evaluation Test of Narrative Language story prompts (Gillam & Pearson, 2004; Gillam et al., n.d.). Data from six comparison participants with typical language skills who completed pre- and posttesting demonstrate the stability of the measures. Results The intervention group made gains in English and Spanish as evidenced by significant increases in their cloze and sentence repetition accuracy on the Bilingual English Spanish Oral Screener Morphosyntax subtest. They increased productivity on their narratives in Spanish and English as indexed by mean length of utterance in words but did not make gains in their overall grammaticality. Conclusions Structured intervention that includes an emphasis on grammatical elements in the context of a broader intervention can lead to change in the production of morphosyntax evident in both elicited constructions and narrative productivity as measured by mean length of utterance in words. Additional work is needed to determine if and how cross-linguistic transfer might be achieved for these learners.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lisa M. Bedore
- Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, Temple University, Philadelphia, PA
| | | | - Christine Fiestas
- Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, Texas A&M University, Kingsville
| | - Mirza J. Lugo-Neris
- Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, The University of Texas at Austin
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Méndez LI, Simon-Cereijido G. A View of the Lexical-Grammatical Link in Young Latinos With Specific Language Impairment Using Language-Specific and Conceptual Measures. JOURNAL OF SPEECH, LANGUAGE, AND HEARING RESEARCH : JSLHR 2019; 62:1775-1786. [PMID: 31112438 DOI: 10.1044/2019_jslhr-l-18-0315] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
Purpose This study investigated the nature of the association of lexical-grammatical abilities within and across languages in Latino dual language learners (DLLs) with specific language impairment (SLI) using language-specific and bilingual measures. Method Seventy-four Spanish/English-speaking preschoolers with SLI from preschools serving low-income households participated in the study. Participants had stronger skills in Spanish (first language [L1]) and were in the initial stages of learning English (second language [L2]). The children's lexical, semantic, and grammar abilities were assessed using normative and researcher-developed tools in English and Spanish. Hierarchical linear regressions of cross-sectional data were conducted using measures of sentence repetition tasks, language-specific vocabulary, and conceptual bilingual lexical and semantic abilities in Spanish and English. Results Results indicate that language-specific vocabulary abilities support the development of grammar in L1 and L2 in this population. L1 vocabulary also contributes to L2 grammar above and beyond the contribution of L2 vocabulary skills. However, the cross-linguistic association between vocabulary in L2 and grammar skills in the stronger or more proficient language (L1) is not observed. In addition, conceptual vocabulary significantly supported grammar in L2, whereas bilingual semantic skills supported L1 grammar. Conclusions Our findings reveal that the same language-specific vocabulary abilities drive grammar development in L1 and L2 in DLLs with SLI. In the early stages of L2 acquisition, vocabulary skills in L1 also seem to contribute to grammar skills in L2 in this population. Thus, it is critical to support vocabulary development in both L1 and L2 in DLLs with SLI, particularly in the beginning stages of L2 acquisition. Clinical and educational implications are discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lucía I Méndez
- Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, University of North Carolina-Greensboro
| | - Gabriela Simon-Cereijido
- Department of Communication Disorders, Rongxiang Xu College of Health and Human Services, California State University, Los Angeles
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Simon-Cereijido G, Méndez LI. Similarities and differences in the lexical-grammatical relation of young dual language learners with and without specific language impairment. CLINICAL LINGUISTICS & PHONETICS 2019; 34:92-109. [PMID: 31092018 DOI: 10.1080/02699206.2019.1611926] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/30/2019] [Revised: 04/22/2019] [Accepted: 04/23/2019] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
This study examines the lexical-grammatical relation within and across in preschool Latino dual language learners (DLLs) with and without specific language impairment (SLI) using language-specific vocabulary and conceptual lexical-semantic skills. The participants were sixty-one typically developing (TD) Spanish-English speaking DLLs and seventy-four DLLs with SLI from low-income households. Standardized and researcher developed assessment tools were used to measure vocabulary, semantics, and grammar in both Spanish and English. Cross-sectional data were analyzed using hierarchical linear regressions to determine the nature of the lexical-grammatical association within and across languages. The study found significant within-language relations between measures of vocabulary and grammar for both groups. Conceptual vocabulary was a significant predictor for English grammar in both groups. For the SLI group only, both English and Spanish vocabulary scores significantly predicted English grammar and bilingual semantics scores predicted Spanish grammar. These findings underscore the role of language-specific vocabulary on grammatical development and suggest the presence of bilingual bootstrapping in DLLs. However, the degree and nature of cross-linguistic associations vary by language ability and language proficiency. The role of age and nonverbal cognition and clinical implications are also discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Lucía I Méndez
- Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, University of North Carolina-Greensboro, Greensboro, NC, USA
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