Child Language Research Articles

Modelling child comprehension: A case of suffixal passive construction in Korean

The present study investigates a computational model's ability to capture monolingual children's language behaviour during comprehension in Korean, an understudied language in the field. Specifically, we test whether and how two neural network architectures (LSTM, GPT-2) cope with a suffixal passive construction involving verbal morphology and required interpretive procedures (i.e., revising the mapping between thematic roles and case markers) driven by that morphology. To this end, we fine-tune our models via patching (i.e., pre-trained model + caregiver input) and hyperparameter adjustments, and measure their binary classification performance on the test sentences used in a behavioural study manifesting scrambling and omission of sentential components to varying degrees. We find that, while these models’ performance converges with the children's response patterns found in the behavioural study to some extent, the models do not faithfully simulate the children's comprehension behaviour pertaining to the suffixal passive, yielding by-model, by-condition, and by-hyperparameter asymmetries. This points to the limits of the neural networks’ capacity to address child language features. The implications of this study invite subsequent inquiries on the extent to which computational models reveal developmental trajectories of children's linguistic knowledge that have been unveiled through corpus-based or experimental research.

Demonstration Learning Method Assisted by Hand Puppet Media Improves Children's Language and Social-Emotional Skills

During learning, children feel bored and shy when meeting new people, so they need to be adequately stimulated to support the child's social-emotional development. This research analyzes the demonstration learning method assisted by hand puppets on children's language and social-emotional abilities. This type of research is Quasi-Experimental Design (quasi-experiment). The research design used was a posttest-only control group design. In this study, the population was the total number of Kindergarten B children, totaling 185 children. The sample selection technique in this research was random sampling with a sample size of 65 children. The data collection method uses observation and questionnaire sheets. Inferential statistical analysis is an analysis used to test research hypotheses. The research results show that the Demonstration Learning Method Assisted by Hand Puppet Media can influence children's language and social-emotional abilities. The research results show differences in the language and social-emotional abilities of children who follow the demonstration learning method assisted by hand puppet media and those taught using the lecture method. It was concluded that the Demonstration Learning Method Assisted by Hand Puppet Media could improve Kindergarten B children's language and social-emotional skills.

Does adding parent education and workforce training to Head Start promote or interfere with children's development?

This study explores the effects of the two-generation program CareerAdvance-which combines education and training for parents in healthcare with Head Start for children-on children's academic, language, mathematics, and inhibitory control followed for 3 years. The sample (collected in Tulsa, Oklahoma from 2011 to 2018) includes 147 children in the CareerAdvance group and 139 children in a matched comparison group (n = 286; 40% Black, 17%, White, 10% Hispanic, 33% Mixed Race, or Other Race; M = 3.6 years old; 47% female). Overall, the effect of CareerAdvance on child outcomes is neither greater nor less than Head Start alone. These findings suggest that children's developmental outcomes do not worsen or improve in the short term when their parents return to school.

Evocative effects on the early caregiving environment of genetic factors underlying the development of intellectual and academic ability.

This study examined gene-environment correlation (rGE) in intellectual and academic development in 561 U.S.-based adoptees (57% male; 56% non-Latinx White, 19% multiracial, 13% Black or African American, 11% Latinx) and their birth and adoptive parents between 2003 and 2017. Birth mother intellectual and academic performance predicted adoptive mother warmth at child age 6 (β = .14, p = .038) and 7 (β = .12, p = .040) but not 4.5 years, and adoptive father warmth at 7 (β = .18, p = .007) but not 4.5 or 6 years. These rGE effects were not mediated by children's language. Contrary to theory that rGE accounts for increasing heritability of intellectual ability, parenting did not mediate genetic effects on children's language or academic performance.

A Study on the Language Status of Left-behind Children in Key Counties of National Rural Revitalization and a relevant Application development : A Case Study of Youyang

At present, the problem of left-behind children in our country is receiving more and more attention. As the key object of rural revitalization, the language status of left-behind children is very important to the improvement of rural education quality and the overall revitalization strategy. Taking Youyang County as an example, this paper aims to explore the influencing factors of left-behind children's language attitude in Youyang area, and analyze the role and benefits of corresponding Putonghua Help App on language learning. Through the investigation and analysis of the left-behind children's language use in Youyang area, it is found that they have the characteristics of "multi-language coexistence, strong side and weak side" in language. In this context, the emergence of Mandarin Help App provides a convenient, efficient and interesting way for left-behind children to learn. By using Putonghua Help App, left-behind children can better improve their Putonghua level and promote ethnic language exchange and cultural inheritance. Therefore, Putonghua Help App plays an important role in improving the language attitude of left-behind children in Youyang area and improving Putonghua level, which has positive significance in promoting the improvement of local language environment. Meanwhile, the research results will provide strong support for improving the language education of left-behind children and promoting rural revitalization.

Upaya Meningkatkan Keterampilan Berbicara Anak Melalui Media Boneka Tangan di TK-IT An-Nahar

Hand Puppet Media is one of the media that is proven to be able to improve speaking skills in young children. This study aims to improve children's language skills, especially in the speaking ability of children aged 5-6 years with hand puppet media in group B Rombel Pisang children at TK-IT An-Nahar, Cijulang District, Pangandaran Regency. The ability to speak includes the structure of conveying the meaning (ideas, ideas, feelings) to others fluently and making simple sentences. This study is a classroom action research conducted collaboratively with teachers and using the Kemmis and Mc Taggart models. The subjects of this study were 16 children of Group B Rombel Pisang TK-IT An-Nahar. The object of research in this study is the improvement of the ability to speak storytelling methods with hand puppet media. Data collection is carried out through observation with observation sheet instruments. Data analysis techniques are carried out descriptively, qualitatively and quantitatively. The results showed that hand puppet media can improve children's speaking skills after action. The final result of the ability to speak on the whole indicator on the average indicator of child achievement in Cycle I was 66% with sufficient criteria and in Cycle II the average indicator of child achievement was 83% very good criteria. Thus using hand puppet media can improve children's speaking skills.

Penerapan Pembelajaran Bilingual pada Anak Usia Dini di Desa Kabuna Haliwen Atambua, Nusa Tenggara Timur

In general, people in the world today have bilingualism to communicate. Without language, a person will not be able to communicate with others. So this language skill must be developed since children are at an early age. Language development begins in infancy and relies on its role in experience, mastery and language growth. Children learn language since infancy where before learning to speak they communicate through crying, smiling and body movements. Learning language is very crucial at the age of before six years. Therefore, early childhood education is a very important vehicle in developing children's language so that this condition can facilitate the development of language skills in early childhood. This study aims to identify the application of bilingual learning in early childhood in the village of Kabuna Haliwen Atambua, East Nusa Tenggara. The design of this study is quantitative with a pre and post control approach. 12 early childhood children in Kabuna Haliwen Atambua Village, East Nusa Tenggara. The largest number of early childhood children is 6 years old, 5 people, 3 people, and 4 years old. gender is male, 7 people and female, 5 people. The Implementation of Bilingual Learning in Early Childhood has increased by 37% from an average of 60% to 97%. The implementation of bilingual learning in early childhood is very important to be implemented in everyday life. Implement the Implementation of Bilingual Learning through simulation activities. Become evidence in the development of English language science, especially in improving the Implementation of Bilingual Learning in Early Childhood.

Assessing Binaural Auditory Processing in Native Tamil Speaking Children.

The objective of this study is to develop and validate the Binaural Fusion Test (BFT) in the Tamil language for children with learning disability. As many children with learning disability exhibit an auditory processing deficit there is a need for language specific assessment tool for these children. The BFT in Tamil comprises 100 words organized into four lists, with each list containing 25 words. A total of 84 children with normal auditory processing and 45 children diagnosed with learning difficulties were administrated the BFT in Tamil. Test-retest reliability was evaluated in a sample of 30 children who exhibited normal auditory processing. The results of BFT in children with normal auditory processing demonstrated satisfactory reliability by the Cronbach Alpha test. A statistically significant difference was seen in the mean scores of BFT in Tamil when comparing the groups. The present study offers novel normative data for the binaural fusion test in Tamil, which has not been previously documented in the existing literature. For children, the BFT in Tamil, which is a part of the CAPD test battery, can be used to find binaural interaction deficiencies.

Child-directed speech in a large sample of U.S. mothers with low income.

Research on early language input and socioeconomic status typically relies on correlations in small convenience samples. Using data from Baby's First Years, this paper assesses the causal impact of monthly, unconditional cash transfers on child-directed speech and child vocalizations among a large, racially diverse sample of low-income U.S. mothers and their 1-year-olds (N = 563; 48% girls; 2019-2020). The monthly, unconditional cash transfers did not impact mothers' child-directed speech during a 10-min at-home play session (effect sizes range from -.08 to .02), though there was wide variability within this sample. Future work will assess the impact of the continued cash transfer on children's language input and development over time.

CLEM: A cross-language emotional metanorm in children

The relationship between emotion and language in children is an emerging field of research. To carry out this type of study, researchers need to precisely manipulate the emotional parameters of the words in their experimental material. However, the number of affective norms for words in this population is still limited. To fill this gap, the present report presents a set of 7 norms that measure the emotional parameters (valence, arousal) of words rated by children in French, English, German, Spanish, and Chinese. The high correlations between the valence values and the moderate correlations between arousal values of these norms allow us to determine a cross-language homogeneity of emotional representations in children. Thus, this report introduces a significant metanorm with 508 words characterized by valence and by arousal. This tool is a worthwhile resource for researchers interested in the links between emotion and language, as well as for those interested in cross-language comparisons. The complete database can be downloaded at the following address: https://osf.io/stnbk/

IsiZulu-speaking caregivers' perceptions of child language stimulation.

South African children from low-income households are at higher risk of cognitive-linguistic difficulties because of multiple risk factors. Early language stimulation minimises the effects of risk factors and prepares children for literacy and learning. Understanding caregivers' perceptions of language stimulation is important because perceptions shape practices, which determine child language outcomes. This study explored the existing perceptions of language stimulation among 15 isiZulu-speaking caregivers from KwaDabeka township. A qualitative, descriptive research design was adopted and the caregivers were interviewed using a semi-structured interview schedule. The NVivo software programme supported the inductive, thematic analysis of the data. Although the caregivers held positive perceptions of language stimulation, their perceptions of benefit focussed on meeting children's basic physiological needs with less reference to the long-term benefits for literacy, employment and social integration. Providing language models, watching television, singing songs, and reading books were perceived to be examples of language-stimulating activities and techniques. The caregivers expressed a need to improve their knowledge of language stimulation and queried how they could be supported to achieve this outcome. This group of caregivers needed support to increase their awareness of the long-term benefits of language stimulation and their knowledge and use of evidence-based activities, stimuli and facilitation techniques.Contribution:Caregivers' existing perceptions could serve as a barrier to the effective language stimulation of children from low-income households in South Africa.

Collecting Sociodemographic Data in Pediatric Emergency Research: A Working Group Consensus.

Understanding and addressing health care disparities relies on collecting and reporting accurate data in clinical care and research. Data regarding a child's race, ethnicity, and language; sexual orientation and gender identity; and socioeconomic and geographic characteristics are important to ensure equity in research practices and reported outcomes. Disparities are known to exist across these sociodemographic categories. More consistent, accurate data collection could improve understanding of study results and inform approaches to resolve disparities in child health. However, published guidance on standardized collection of these data in children is limited, and given the evolving nature of sociocultural identities, requires frequent updates. The Pediatric Emergency Care Applied Research Network, a multi-institutional network dedicated to pediatric emergency research, developed a Health Disparities Working Group in 2021 to support and advance equitable pediatric emergency research. The working group, which includes clinicians involved in pediatric emergency medical care and researchers with expertise in pediatric disparities and the conduct of pediatric research, prioritized creating a guide for approaches to collecting race, ethnicity, and language; sexual orientation and gender identity; and socioeconomic and geographic data during the conduct of research in pediatric emergency care settings. Our aims with this guide are to summarize existing barriers to sociodemographic data collection in pediatric emergency research, highlight approaches to support the consistent and reproducible collection of these data, and provide rationale for suggested approaches. These approaches may help investigators collect data through a process that is inclusive, consistent across studies, and better informs efforts to reduce disparities in child health.

Grammatical gender in spoken word recognition in school-age Spanish monolingual and Spanish-English bilingual children.

This study examined grammatical gender processing in school-aged children with varying levels of cumulative English exposure. Children participated in a visual world paradigm with a four-picture display where they heard a gendered article followed by a target noun and were in the context where all images were the same gender (same gender), where all of the distractor images were the opposite gender than the target noun (different gender), and where all of the distractor images were the opposite gender, but there was a mismatch in the gendered article and target noun pair. We investigated 51 children (aged 5;0-10;0) who were exposed to Spanish since infancy but varied in their amount of cumulative English exposure. In addition to the visual word paradigm, all children completed an article-noun naming task, a grammaticality judgment task, and standardized vocabulary tests. Parents reported on their child's cumulative English language exposure and current English language use. To investigate the time course of lexical facilitation effects, looks to the target were analyzed with a cluster-based permutation test. The results revealed that all children used gender in a facilitatory way (during the noun region), and comprehension was significantly inhibited when the article-noun pairing was ungrammatical rather than grammatical. Compared to children with less cumulative English exposure, children with more cumulative English exposure looked at the target noun significantly less often overall, and compared to younger children, older children looked at the target noun significantly more often overall. Additionally, children with lower cumulative English exposure looked at target nouns more in the different-gender condition than the same-gender condition for masculine items more than feminine items.

Short versions of the Basque MacArthur-Bates Communicative Development Inventories (children aged 8–50 months)

This study provides a brief review of the adaptation of the short MacArthur-Bates Communicative Development Inventories (CDI) instruments into Basque. The study aims to provide the scientific community with several standardized instruments designed to measure the vocabulary size of young children (aged 8–50 months) who are learning Basque, a language spoken in Spain and France. Data from over 2,400 children, obtained using the Basque adaptations of the short CDI parental questionnaires, the BCDI-1s(hort), BCDI-2s, and BCDI-3, revealed the capacity of these instruments to identify the effect of age on the language development of preschool-age children exposed to this language, as has been attested in other (minority and non-minority) languages. The study also examined the effect size of age, sex, and language input. The results showed that sex had a null or very small effect on both lexical development and the rest of the scales, whereas the effect of language input increased as children grew older and was even stronger than the effect of age from 30 months onwards. These findings provide solid ground for discussing the relevance of various factors that affect young children's language acquisition.

Language environment and early language production in Slovenian infants: An exploratory study using daylong recordings.

Daylong recordings provide an ecologically valid option for analyzing language input, and have become a central method for studying child language development. However, the vast majority of this work has been conducted in North America. We harnessed a unique collection of daylong recordings from Slovenian infants (age: 16-30months, N=40, 18 girls), and focus our attention on manually annotated measures of parentese (infant-directed speech with a higher pitch, slower tempo, and exaggerated intonation), conversational turns, infant words, and word combinations. Measures from daylong recordings showed large variation, but were comparable to previous studies with North American samples. Infants heard almost twice as much speech and parentese from mothers compared to fathers, but there were no differences in language input to boys and girls. Positive associations were found between the social-interactional features of language input (parentese, turn-taking) and infants' concurrent language production. Measures of child speech from daylong recordings were positively correlated with measures obtained through the Slovenian MacArthur-Bates Communicative Development Inventory. These results support the notion that the social-interactional features of parental language input are the foundation of infants' language skills, even in an environment where infants spend much of their waking hours in childcare settings, as they do in Slovenia.

The Development of Gesture Skills in Chinese Autistic Children: The Predictive Roles of Age and Language Ability.

Gesture delay in autistic infants and toddlers has been widely reported. The developmental trajectory of gesture production during early childhood is understudied. Thus, little is known about the possible changes of gesture production over time. The present study aimed to document the development of gesture production in autistic children and examine whether child-based factors (chronological age and initial language skills) predicted gesture development. A total of 33 Chinese-speaking autistic children (Mage = 56.39 months, SD = 8.54 months) played with their parents at four time points over a 9-month period. Their speech was transcribed, and their gestures were coded from parent-child interaction. Multilevel modeling analysis was used to investigate the development of gesture and its associated factors. The total number of gestures produced by autistic children decreased over time. Among different factors, children's initial age significantly and negatively predicted children's gesture production, while initial language positively predicted children's gesture production. Gesture delay persists in preschool age. The decline in gesture production was associated with children's age and initial language ability. These findings shed light on the difficulties surrounding gesture use in autistic children.

Beyond the false belief task: How children develop their knowledge about the mind

AbstractPrevious research on children's knowledge about the mind has primarily focused on their comprehension of false beliefs, leaving the conceptualization of thoughts and thinking less explored. To address this gap, we developed a new assessment tool, the interview about the mind (IaM), to assess children's understanding of the mind. Two studies involving Polish preschool and early school‐aged children were conducted to assess the validity and reliability of the tool: a cross‐sectional study with 212 preschoolers aged three to 6 years (106 boys, M = 59 months) followed by a longitudinal study with approximately 200 children (110 boys) assessed at ages 5.5, 6.5, and 7.5 years. We found that the IaM possesses robust psychometric properties and a one‐factor structure. Younger children recognize that thoughts are imperceptible to the senses and identified the mind's location as the head. Older children exhibited difficulties with analogical or abstract definitions of thoughts. As expected, a linear developmental trajectory was evident from ages 5.5–7.5, with children's language abilities showing a positive correlation with IaM scores. Future research should explore the relationship between knowledge about the mind and theory of mind (ToM), as well as cross‐cultural differences in children's mind conceptualization.

An Online Survey of Picture Book Reading Practices with Children Between the Ages of 0 and 30 Months

ABSTRACT There is a great deal of variability in how families read and interact with picture books. To understand why reading practices may (or may not) relate to language outcomes, a necessary step to understand what occurs in the home. The goal of this work is to better understand the frequency and nature of picture book reading at home with children between the ages of 0 and 30 months in the United States. In an online survey, 282 caregivers answered questions about their picture book reading habits. Book reading was overall very common. Over 90% of families reported reading at least weekly to their child and nearly 70% reported reading daily, with caregivers of older children reporting reading slightly more frequently than caregivers of younger children. Caregivers also reported reading picture book text as well as a range of extra-textual activities. These textual and extra-textual behaviors varied across families and varied with child age and language skills. This study provides insight into how much, and what kind of linguistic input children encounter during picture book reading, and how this input may vary with age.

Intercultural family-school cooperation and the dilemma of involving child language brokers versus professional interpreters

ABSTRACT This study explores the complexities of intercultural family-school cooperation, particularly focusing on the dilemma of involving child language brokers versus professional interpreters in the context of compulsory schooling in Denmark, Iceland, and Norway. Utilising critical pedagogy as the theoretical framework, the study examines the experiences and perspectives of student teachers regarding cooperation with families who require language assistance. The data were collected via individual interviews with 36 student teachers. At the time of the study, they were enrolled in full-time teacher education programmes in their respective home countries and were in the final year of their educational journey. Drawing on their field experiences, the student teachers presented diverse scenarios in which they articulated a reasoned preference for involving either professional interpreters or child language brokers. As implications derived from the findings, it is evident that the involvement of professional interpreters and child language brokers in intercultural family-school cooperation necessitates a comprehensive evaluation by school personnel of the power dynamics, the emotional well-being of all parties involved, and the issues of confidentiality and professionalism. The study highlights the need for teacher education to address intercultural family-school cooperation holistically. It advocates for an enhanced focus on sustainable language support strategies, extending beyond reliance on interpreters or child language brokers.

Echivalența versurilor în subtitrări ale filmelor Disney

This paper proposes a detailed analysis of the translation process of Disney movies´ lyrics, focusing on the concept of lexical equivalence and ways of correspondence between English and Romanian. Three Disney musical films – „Frozen” (2013), „The Lion King” (1994 and 2019), and „Moana” (2016) – are selected to illustrate various lexical contexts, highlighting the ways in which words and phrases are translated and adapted to preserve the melodicity of the lyrics. The analysis also focuses on translation errors, explaining the reasons for them and offering suggestions for replacing those lyrics. In the context of translation theory, it is emphasized that the process of transfer from source to target language involves creating an equivalence that preserves the specific features of the original text. Through the Disney films, the text explores the phenomenon of equivalence in lexical correspondence, which is partial in most cases. It also discusses the particularities of verse translation, focusing on the restrictions and challenges faced by the translator, such as adjusting the number of syllables to match the musical notes. Aspects such as repetition of words and phrases, placement of punctuation marks and rhythmic characteristics of the vocal line are also considered in the translation process. In addition to linguistic issues, this analysis explores the influence of Disney films on culture and language in childhood, highlighting the importance of adapting texts written for children to moral rules and age appropriateness. By addressing these issues, the paper provides a significant insight into understanding the complexity of the translation process and how it influences the reception of cultural elements between different languages.