Home Language Activities and Expressive Vocabulary of Toddlers from Low-SES Monolingual Families and Bilingual Immigrant Families.

Elena Florit,Marinella Majorano,Manuela Lavelli,Chiara Barachetti

doi:10.3390/ijerph18010296

Elena Florit, Marinella Majorano + Show 2 more

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https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph18010296

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Abstract

Children from low-SES (socioeconomic status) and minority language immigrant families are at risk of vocabulary difficulties due to the less varied and complex language in the home environment. Children are less likely to be involved in home language activities (HLA) in interaction with adults in low-SES than in higher-SES families. However, few studies have investigated the HLA variability among low-SES, minority language bilingual immigrant families. This longitudinal study analyzes the frequency and duration of HLA and their predictive roles for expressive vocabulary acquisition in 70 equivalent low-SES monolingual and bilingual toddlers from minority contexts. HLA and vocabulary were assessed at 24 and 30 months in the majority language (Italian) and in total (majority+minority language) using parent and teacher reports. The frequency and duration of HLA in interaction with adults in total, but not in the majority language, at 24 months were similar for the two groups. These activities uniquely accounted for expressive vocabulary at 30 months, after accounting for total vocabulary at 24 months, in both groups. In conclusion, a minority-majority language context is not an additional risk factor for vocabulary acquisition if HLA is considered in interaction with adults in both languages. HLA are proximal environmental protective factors for vocabulary acquisition.

Highlights

Bilingual children from low-income, language-minority immigrant families are at risk of language and literacy difficulties [1,2]
The present study will help scholars disentangle the effects of low-socioeconomic status (SES) and minoritymajority language status in the influence of home language activities on children’s vocabulary acquisition
Our results show that children from low-SES immigrant families are as likely as children from low-SES monolingual families to be involved in a range of activities involving interaction with an adult and for a similar duration, taking together both minority and majority languages

Summary

Introduction

Bilingual children from low-income, language-minority immigrant families are at risk of language and literacy difficulties [1,2] These children score below monolingual children from middle-class homes in a range of oral language skills, in particular vocabulary, when tested in one of their languages, especially the majority or societal language (i.e., their second language) [1,3]. The lower levels of vocabulary among bilingual children from low-income, languageminority immigrant families are affected both by socioeconomic status (SES) and by dual language exposure. These are distal environmental factors that have independent and additive effects on oral language [1,4,5]. Languageminority children’s skill level and development in each language are predicted by the quality of the input, assessed through measures such as the percentage of input provided by native speakers, in dual language environments, even controlling for SES [8,9]

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