Monolingual Kindergarten Research Articles

German Noun Plurals in Simultaneous Bilingual vs. Successive Bilingual vs. Monolingual Kindergarten Children: The Role of Linguistic and Extralinguistic Variables

(1) Background: The complex phenomenon of German noun plural inflection is investigated in three groups of German-speaking kindergarten children: (a) monolinguals (1L1), (b) simultaneous bilinguals (2L1) also acquiring Croatian, and (c) successive bilinguals (L2) acquiring Turkish as L1. Predictions of the usage-based schema model and of Natural Morphology concerning different linguistic variables are used to explore their impact on plural acquisition in the three groups of children. (2) Methods: A longitudinal study (from mean age 3;1 to 4;8) is conducted using two procedures (a formal plural test and spontaneous recordings in kindergarten), and the data are analyzed using generalized linear (mixed-effects) regression models in R. (3) Results: All children produce more errors in the metalinguistically challenging test compared to spontaneous speech, with L2 children being particularly disadvantaged. Socioeconomic status (henceforth SES) and teachers’ plural type frequency are most relevant for 1L1 children, and kindergarten exposure is more relevant for L2 children, while the linguistic variables are more important for 2L1 children. (4) Conclusions: The main predictions of the schema model and of Natural Morphology are largely confirmed. All of the linguistic variables investigated show significant effects in some analyses, but morphotactic transparency turns out to be the most relevant variable for all three groups of children.

The internal structure of the syllable in Russian and in Hebrew: Evidence from monolingual kindergarteners

AbstractNotwithstanding remarkable phonological differences, the CV syllable is the most frequent syllable type in both Russian and Hebrew. This led to the prediction that the internal structure of the CVC syllable in the two languages, as reflected in phonological awareness tasks, might be similar. The study tested phonological awareness in two groups of monolingual kindergarteners: Hebrew-speaking (N = 35) and Russian-speaking (N = 20) in order to shed light on the underlying structure of the CVC syllable in the two languages. Phonological awareness tasks targeted awareness of the sub-syllabic structure (structured and unstructured) and phoneme awareness (initial and final). A linear mixed model analysis revealed that children in both groups showed greater facility with body-coda CV-C than with onset-rime C-VC syllable splitting and higher scores on final than on initial phoneme isolation tasks. The unstructured tasks also reflected the cohesion of the CV body in both languages. The findings demonstrate a similar internal representation of the CVC syllable in Russian and in Hebrew speakers as reflected in phonological awareness among preschoolers.

KINDERGARTEN TEACHERS’ STRATEGIES TO TEACH ENGLISH VOCABULARY IN A MONOLINGUAL SCHOOL IN AMBARAWA, INDONESIA

Living in Ambarawa, which is a small town, an English teacher in such a location has a unique challenge in teaching the target language. This study was conducted at a monolingual kindergarten in Ambarawa, Indonesia. There is one primary question to be answered in this study, which is what strategies were used by English teachers in teaching vocabulary to young learners at a monolingual kindergarten in Ambarawa, Indonesia. Knowing that learning English vocabulary is important, the researchers conducted this research by observing the class ten times and interviewing the English teacher. Class observations, which included the strategies used by the teachers and the learning and teaching process used to collect the data. Besides that, an interview with the teacher was conducted after the class observation to find out the reasons for the teacher in choosing the related teaching strategies. The results of the study presented some various teaching strategies which were used to teach English vocabulary in a monolingual school in Ambarawa. From ten class observations and interviews, three main strategies were identified. The three primary strategies used by the English teacher in a monolingual kindergarten in Ambarawa, Indonesia in teaching English vocabulary to young learners were the use of teaching media, the implementation of appropriate methods and approaches, and the use of fun activities to create a more engaging class. Therefore, given the unique condition of each school, English teachers need to be creative yet wise in choosing the most appropriate teaching strategies to meet the needs of the learners.

The Impact of Bilingualism on the Creative Capabilities of Kindergarten Children in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

<p class="apa">Saudi Arabia is one of the countries that encounter the issue of bilingualism due to the spread of private schools that offer programs in different languages. This research is an attempt to investigate the impact of bilingualism on the creative capabilities (Fluency, Flexibility, Originality, Details) of kindergarten children in Riyadh. It aims at identifying the differences in the creative competences among children (monolingual and bilingual) in Saudi Arabia. To achieve the goals of the study, the researcher used the experimental method, as it is convenient to the nature of the study. She used the scale of Torrance of creative capacity in order to identify the creative abilities of children. The sample was randomly chosen and divided into two groups: the bilingual group (n = 40), and the control monolingual group (n = 40). Results showed that there were statistically significant differences at (α = 0.05) between the mean scores of monolingual kindergarten children and the mean scores of bilingual kindergarten children in some creative capabilities in favor of monolingual children of the study. In light of the findings, the researcher recommended the need of resolving the controversy over the issue concerning when children can start to learn a foreign language.</p>

The Longitudinal Effect of Bilingual Immersion Schooling on Cognitive Control and Intelligence*

Throughout the past century, the effects of bilingualism on general cognition have been extensively explored. Studies evolved from a negative to a more positive perspective, but longitudinal assessments of effects of bilingualism are scarce. This study investigated the long‐term effect of becoming a bilingual on the development of general intelligence and cognitive control. We followed 27 five‐year‐old children initiating bilingual kindergarten and 27 age‐matched controls enrolled in monolingual kindergarten. The two groups were similar with regard to socioeconomic status. At baseline, both groups spoke only French and performed equally on measures of intelligence, cognitive control, and verbal fluency. One year later, all children were tested again. Results revealed that, after 1 year, both groups improved similarly on verbal fluency and cognitive control. However, only children attending bilingual kindergarten improved significantly on intelligence, indicating that cognitive practice gained from acquiring a second language may improve general cognitive abilities assessed by intelligence tests, outside the verbal domain.

The use of Spanish by a monolingual kindergarten teacher to support English language learners

This article reports on a case study of a kindergarten, monolingual teacher and how she used Spanish, the home language of her Latino/a students who are English language learners (ELLs), in the classroom. The article focuses on how the teacher develops and uses her emerging knowledge of Spanish to scaffold students' learning, specifically when emphasizing instruction, reinforcing key concepts, checking comprehension, managing the classroom, relating to students and providing encouragement. This study provides evidence that monolingual teachers can develop skills to use students' home languages as an effective literacy teaching tool.

Bilingualism and Creative Abilities in Early Childhood

The present study was motivated by a scarcity of knowledge about the impact of early bilingualism on the development of general creativity and mathematical creativity. Two groups of bilingual and monolingual preschoolers (mean age = 60.9 months, SD= 3.1) from the same monolingual kindergarten participated in this study: 15 Russian/Hebrew balanced bilinguals and 15 native Hebrew-speaking monolinguals. All children were administered the Figural Form A ( Thinking Creatively with Pictures ) from the Torrance Tests of Creative Thinking, the Pictorial Multiple Solution Task assessing general creativity, and the Creating Equal Number task measuring mathematical creativity. Bilingual children showed higher creative ability than their monolingual peers. It seems, however, that bilingualism affects various domains of creative ability differently. Consistent with findings of an earlier study (M. Leikin, 2013) the results demonstrate that relationships between creativity components and bilingualism are task dependent, and when differences between bilingual and monolingual children are revealed, they are in favor of bilinguals. In other words, advantages in creative ability in bilinguals are specific rather than general.

The effect of bilingualism on creativity: Developmental and educational perspectives

This study is aimed at examining the possible effect of bilingualism on creativity in nonmathematical and mathematical problem solving among very young bilingual and monolingual preschoolers. An additional factor that has been considered in this study is the form of bilingual education. Accordingly, three groups of children (mean age = 45.4 months at the beginning of the study) participated in this study: (a) 13 bilingual children from a bilingual (Hebrew–Russian) kindergarten, (b) 10 bilingual children from a monolingual (Hebrew) kindergarten, and (c) 14 monolingual children (Hebrew) from a monolingual kindergarten. All children performed the Picture Multiple Solution task on general creativity and the Creating Equal Number task on mathematical creativity. The results reveal that both early bilingualism and some form of bilingual education seem to influence the children’s general and mathematical creativity. Moreover, differences between bilingual children from the bilingual kindergarten and monolingual children were more prominent (in favor of the bilinguals). In addition, the findings confirm the hypothesis concerning the differences between two types of creative ability in the context of bilingual and monolingual development.

Immigrant Parents' Choice of a Bilingual Versus Monolingual Kindergarten for Second-Generation Children: Motives, Attitudes, and Factors

This study investigated how immigrant parents describe and explain their family language policy concerning their child's preschool bilingual development, and also explored the factors linked to the parents' choice of bilingual or monolingual kindergarten for their child. The study design was based on a comparison of 2 groups of parents: those who chose bilingual versus monolingual kindergartens. The research model consisted of 3 groups of variables: the sociocultural and linguistic profile of these groups of parents, their language policy (language ideology, practice, and management), and the parents' representations about their child's proficiency in the both languages. The article presents results of a self-administered questionnaire. The sample (n = 111) included bilingual (Russian–Hebrew) young adult immigrants in Israel from the former Soviet Union. Three factors were found to be most significantly related to the parents' choice of kindergarten and their general attitudes toward their child's bilingual development: the number of children in the family, the parents' identification with Russian culture, and the child's well-being as a motivating factor in the choice of kindergarten. The results also show that, for both groups, the FLP was vaguely defined and unplanned, and it varied considerably within 1 immigrant language community.

The invented spellings of non-Spanish phonemes by Spanish–English bilingual and English monolingual kindergarteners

This study compared the English spelling of native Spanish-speaking children receiving English-only instruction with monolingual native English speaking children at the end of kindergarten. In invented spelling, young bilingual children can show us how they perceive the unique sounds of English by the way they map English letters onto non-Spanish sounds. The spelling of non-Spanish phonemes and English and Spanish stop consonants differing in voice onset time were examined. The relationship of plausible English spelling with English vocabulary knowledge was also investigated. The bilingual kindergarteners had significantly fewer correct spellings of ending stop consonants, which differ phonetically in English and Spanish, than did the monolingual group. No significant difference between the two groups at the end of kindergarten was found when spelling non-Spanish phonemes however. The lexical restructuring model was applied to explain a positive correlation between vocabulary and plausible English spellings.

Spatial role-taking ability among bilingual and monolingual kindergarten children.

Fifty-seven children enrolled in a bilingual Spanish kindergarten program, assigned to appropriate language and age-related groups, were shown a graduated sequence of increasingly complex arrangements of multicolored blocks and were asked to judge how the original arrangement would look from the opposite and the side perspectives. A series of 2(younger vs. older) X 3(Spanish Monolingual vs. English Monolingual vs. Spanish-English Bilingual) ANOVAs for each of the types of responses (correct, incorrect, egocentric) showed a significant main effect for age on the incorrect answers. No differences associated with egocentrism were obtained. There was no relationship between age and success with simple and complex spatial tasks. As opposed to other studies that suggest certain cognitive advantages for young bilingual children, this study indicates no perceptible differences associated with being monolingual or bilingual at the ages of 5 and 6 for spatial tasks.