Fostering phonological profi ciency: the role of educational language games in hebrew kindergarten curricula

Language learning

Objectives: This study investigated the phonological development of toddlers during early speech and language acquisition using a nonword repetition (NWR) task. It aimed to examine age-related changes in response patterns and phonological accuracy, as well as the relationship between phonological accuracy and expressive language ability. Methods: Fifty-four typically developing children aged 18 to 35 months were divided into three age groups. Each child was asked to repeat 15 nonwords. Responses were categorized into target responses, phonologically similar errors, lexical errors, babbling, and no response. Phonological accuracy was measured at the item, syllable, and phoneme levels. Expressive language scores were assessed using SELSI-Expressive language.Results: As age increased, the proportion of target responses increased, while lexical errors and no responses significantly decreased, and overall phonological accuracy improved. The accuracy of items and phonemes in nonword repetition was lower for nonwords with longer syllable lengths, particularly for those with three to four syllables. In addition, significant positive correlations were found between item accuracy for nonwords of two or more syllables and expressive language scores. Conclusion: This study demonstrated that the nonword repetition task may be useful for assessing phonological processing and speech production abilities in toddlers during early language acquisition, with performance showing a significant association with expressive language development.

This study examines the first language acquisition of a five-year-old child, focusing on phonological development and the influence of environmental factors. Early language acquisition is essential for children's overall development, yet studies that explore the interplay between phonology and environmental dynamics remain underexplored. This research aims to provide insights into how these elements contribute to a child's linguistic progress. A qualitative descriptive method was employed, with data collected over three weeks through systematic observation and question-and-answer sessions, recorded via video calls. The participant, a boy named Alfahrizi Davin Syahputra Hasibuan, or Izzi, was selected due to his early-stage language development. The findings reveal that Izzi can communicate effectively and comprehend conversations within his environment. Parental involvement and a supportive home setting were identified as key factors in enhancing his phonological development, helping him practice correct pronunciation and build confidence in speech. This study highlights the importance of combining phonological analysis with environmental observations to understand how children acquire language in real-world contexts. The results provide practical implications for parents and educators, suggesting that active engagement and positive interaction can significantly influence children's linguistic abilities and overall communication skills.

<p>This study aimed to evaluate the effect of gender on the acquisition of German language skills through the Educational Serious Game in a non-formal education setting. A total of 23 students from different state universities, aged between 21 and 24, participated in an Educational Serious Game session through a game called Deutsche Straße. The students were divided into groups of 4 players for each game session, which lasted between 30 minutes and an hour. The questionnaire "Deutsh Straße Quiz" is used to assess the learning of German words in the form of a multiple-choice question MCQ consisting of 107 items, which was administered before and after each session. A second satisfaction questionnaire that measures the feeling of competence (Dumont et al., 2000). The results showed a significant difference between the two sexes in the level of the acquisition of language skills in the German language through the Educational Serious Game is in favor of female students compared to male students. These results suggest the use of appropriate pedagogical methods that promote gender diversity to deal with gender stereotypes related to games in the university environment in the logic that the game takes place by participants of both sexes simultaneously, and this can generate more motivation. Subsequently, the acquisition of language skills is more equitable.</p><p>Ziel dieser Studie war es, den Einfluss des Geschlechts auf den Erwerb von Deutschkenntnissen durch das Educational Serious Game in einem non-formalen Bildungsumfeld zu evaluieren. Insgesamt 23 Studenten verschiedener staatlicher Universitäten im Alter zwischen 21 und 24 Jahren nahmen an einer Educational Serious Game-Sitzung über ein Spiel namens Deutsche Straße teil. Die Schüler wurden für jede Spielsitzung, die zwischen 30 Minuten und einer Stunde dauerte, in Gruppen von 4 Spielern eingeteilt. Der Fragebogen "Deutsh Straße Quiz" dient der Erfassung des Erlernens deutscher Wörter in Form einer Multiple-Choice-Frage MCQ bestehend aus 107 Items, die vor und nach jeder Sitzung durchgeführt wurde. Ein zweiter Zufriedenheitsfragebogen, der das Gefühl von Kompetenz misst (Dumont et al., 2000). Die Ergebnisse zeigten einen signifikanten Unterschied zwischen den beiden Geschlechtern im Niveau des Erwerbs von Sprachkenntnissen in der deutschen Sprache durch das Educational Serious Game zugunsten von Schülerinnen im Vergleich zu männlichen Schülern. Diese Ergebnisse legen den Einsatz geeigneter pädagogischer Methoden nahe, die die Geschlechtervielfalt fördern, um mit Geschlechterstereotypen umzugehen bezogen auf Spiele im universitären Umfeld in der Logik, dass das Spiel von Teilnehmenden beiderlei Geschlechts gleichzeitig stattfindet, und dies kann mehr Motivation erzeugen. In der Folge ist der Erwerb von Sprachkenntnissen gerechter. </p><p> </p><p><strong> Article visualizations:</strong></p><p><img src="/-counters-/soc/0700/a.php" alt="Hit counter" /></p>

Language learning

Language learning

Language learning

By presenting the theoretical framework and several examples of relevant studies regarding very early foreign language acquisition in the world and in Croatia, the aim of the paper is to raise awareness of the positive effects of learning English in pre-primary education. The theoretical background for early foreign language learning and acquisition is provided and complemented by descriptions of contemporary teaching methods which are based on play, environment, literature, and culture (as the key components). The paper further offers an overview of research, encompassing eight recent studies on early language acquisition in pre-primary education. The primary focus is on exploring the sample of participants, research methodology, and findings of these studies. The selection criteria for these studies are based on their relevance to the language learning domains outlined in the theory section. Through analysis, it becomes evident that researchers employ a combination of age-appropriate and child-friendly quantitative and qualitative methods. Although the studies may not support generalization due to small sample sizes, their results consistently demonstrate a positive impact of Total Physical Response (TPR), music, literature, integrated and project-based learning, as well as digitalization on vocabulary acquisition and the emergent literacy skills of pre-primary children.

Language entails the ability to communicate with other people with significant variations between understanding of speech and language. Although language acquisition largely depends on the learner's ability, the access and availability of instructional resources play a pivotal role in language acquisition among children in Early Childhood Education Centres. The main aim of this study was to assess the influence of available instructional resources on the acquisition of language skills among early-year learners, to determine the impact of teachers' competence on the use of instructional resources on the acquisition of language skills among early-year learners and to determine the influence of challenges in use of instructional resources on the acquisition of language skills among early year learners in Kiambaa sub-county, Kiambu County. The study was based on the constructivists and overlapping spheres of influence theory. The study adopted a descriptive research design. The target population was 98 head teachers and 210 ECD teachers who were considered for the study. Purposive sampling was used to obtain 12 head teachers, and simple random sampling was used to obtain 44 teachers. Statistical Package for Social Sciences was used to analyse the quantitative data, while content analysis was used to analyse the qualitative information gathered using open-ended questions, where findings were reported in a narrative form under each theme. Descriptive analysis was done through frequencies and percentages. A multiple Linear Regression model was used to model the relationship between the independent variable and the response variable (Acquisition of language skills). The study concludes that the availability of Instructional resources has a significant positive effect on the acquisition of language skills as denoted by the p-value (P <0.05). The study recommends that stakeholders, including head teachers, teachers, and parents, should understand the importance of having sufficient instructional resources. Efforts should be made to improve access and availability based on recommendations from ECD teachers, thereby fostering language acquisition among early learners.

Abstrack - Right thinking education game is a software application that can be used as a learning media like other educational game applications. This educational game application can be installed using the Windows operating system. For computer users who like learning activities with educational games on a computer, it is strongly recommended to use this application even though this educational game application is still far from perfect with good software such as animation based educational games with macromedia flash and so on. The right thinking education game is unique compared to other educational games. This educational game has a special design in the system that can be updated on the contents of the practice questions. In this process it can be done by the users themselves without having to update via the internet or the payment process but it can be done very easily so the user is not bothered and the user can be more comfortable playing the right thinking game. Keywords - Games, Education, Greedy, Analysis, Learning.

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 This study is the research of the development of physics education game application. This study has two purposes, namely to (1) developing multimedia for physics learning in the form of a physics education game on direct current electric circuits, (2) knowing the quality of educational game applications that have been produced according to experts, (3)knowing the user's (student's) response to the media of physics learning in the form of educational game applications related to direct current electrical circuit. The development procedure in this study refers to the Luther-Sutopo procedure consisting of the stage of concept, design, material collecting, assembly, testing, and distribution. Data collection techniques in the research in this study using a questionnaire. The research instrument in this study was a validation and assessment sheet which was adapted from the rubric for evaluating C. Stewart's educational game, student response sheets, and the game tester response sheet. Product validation and assessment uses a Likert scale with 4 scales and students' responses use the Guttman scale, while the game tester response sheet uses descriptive analysis. The results of this study are products in the form of simulation physics education game applications in direct current electric circuits, the results of the validation and assessment of material experts and media experts, the educational game application scored 3.8 and 3.3 in a very good category. The results of the user’s (student’s) response to the direct current electric circuit educational game application developed got an average score of 0.97 with the agreed category.
 
 
 

This volume presents ten studies in phonological first language acquisition, an area of research that has become one of fast-growing importance in recent years. The reason for this is not just the fruitfulness and linguistic interest of this type of study per se : it is also the case that the more we come to know about phonological development, by the analysis of growing numbers of data collections and increasingly sophisticated experiments, the more the field has complied with the notion that acquisition research lies at the heart of the modern study of language. One of the aims of this introduction is to illustrate and discuss these developments. In line with them, the past decade in phonology in particular has witnessed an upswell of productive interaction between empirical acquisition research and theory development. With the arrival and rise of constraint-based models, in particular Prince and Smolensky's (1993) Optimality Theory, phonological theory now provides a framework that meets the desiderata expressed more than two decades ago by Lise Menn (1980: 35–36), who is also a contributor to this volume: … The child's ‘tonguetiedness’, that overwhelming reality which Stampe and Jakobson both tried to capture with their respective formal structures, could be handled more felicitously if one represented the heavy articulatory limitations of the child by the formal device of output constraints […] The child's gradual mastery of articulation then is formalized as a relaxation of those constraints.

Brain Mechanisms in Early Language Acquisition

Educational games in nursing education: A bibliometric and content analysis.