Multilingual Children Research Articles

Promoting caregiver engagement processes through the codesign of translanguaging mathematics activities

Abstract It can be difficult for caregivers with a migrant background to engage in their multilingual children’s mathematical learning at home. When caregivers are limited to the language of instruction and traditional forms of engagement, valuable knowledge and engagement could remain unused. In this codesign study, we collaborated with a caregiver of a multilingual child to develop, test, and iteratively adjust mathematical activities to be used at home. We developed activities that were suitable for verbal interaction in all languages, accessible for a wide range of mathematics learners, and game-like. We conjectured that these activities could promote translanguaging amongst a caregiver with a migrant background and her multilingual child, and that translanguaging could unlock caregiver engagement processes. The data included observation notes and recordings of 12 one-on-one design meetings (60–120 min) with the caregiver. Various rounds of codesign helped us refine the initial conjecture by empirical and theoretical underpinning. Features of the design helped the caregiver to support her child in mathematizing. In addition, the caregiver employed modeling. Empowerment was observed as a caregiver engagement process that propelled further involvement.

Unpacking heterogeneity: Executive function and reading development in U.S. multilingual children from kindergarten to third grade

Unpacking heterogeneity: Executive function and reading development in U.S. multilingual children from kindergarten to third grade

Inter-Generational Language Socialization Practices of German-Speaking Migrants in the North of Finland

This paper presents findings from an interview study of practices of home language socialization and maintenance of German among German-speaking migrants in northern Finland. The focus of the analysis was on the importance of the minority language German in families, the role of the regional varieties of German, different ways of socializing children with German, and informal and formal means of German language development and instruction reported by nine German-speaking parents and two bilingual teenagers in semi-structured interviews. Thematic analyses of the data showed that there are different beliefs and practices about home language acquisition and maintenance and language socialization in the family, but also similar challenges. The place of residence did indeed play an important role, as home language instruction was rarely offered, and contact with other German-speaking or multilingual families was often very limited. Some children therefore attend German-as-a-foreign-language classes at school, which was perceived as a challenge by some of the interviewees. Nevertheless, inclusive solutions could help multilingual children, even in rural regions, maintain and develop their home language.

Gender and multilingual bias in observations of children with a developmental language disorder

PurposeThe aim of our study was to clarify DLD characteristics specific to boys and girls and monolingual and multilingual children, including the detection of possible bias in observations made by speech-language therapists.MethodsWe used text-mining techniques on existing individual treatment plans for children diagnosed with DLD (N = 994) written by speech-language therapists. Specific analyses included analyses of unigrams, bigrams, and trigrams within lines (N = 9,092) of individual treatment plans, followed by sentiment analyses of these unigrams, bigrams, and trigrams.ResultsNot only were girls described with more negative words but the focus of the identified DLD characteristics also differed. Boys were described more in terms of tasks and girls in terms of personal characteristics, specifically hearing problems. Multilingual children were described far more negatively by their speech-language therapists than monolingual children, combined with what appeared to be a somewhat stronger focus on vocabulary in observations.ConclusionThe found differences can be due either to bias or actual differences in characteristics between these groups. Screening procedures should be adapted to detect these children earlier, and speech-language therapists should be made aware of the differences in their observations of girls and multilingual children with DLD to avoid bias.

“Everything Starts with Attitudes”: Exploring Language Ideologies and Attitudes of the Polish Community in Ireland Towards Irish and Irish-Medium Education

ABSTRACT The Republic of Ireland (RoI) continues to evolve linguistically, and the Polish community is the largest migrant group in the RoI today. While all children in Ireland can be educated in English-medium (EM) or Irish-medium (IM) schools, only a small percentage of multilingual children from migrant backgrounds attend IM primary schools. Using language ideology as a conceptual framework, semi-structured interviews were conducted with five members of the Polish community to examine their perceptions of IM education. The findings revealed a juxtaposition of positive attitudes towards IM education and a cognisance of challenges associated with IM education. Participants believed parents choose to prioritise English language learning as a form of linguistic capital and Polish language learning for family cohesion. It is anticipated that the findings may inform future policy and practice in understanding the choices multilingual families make around IM education and understanding how to promote IM education for multilingual families.

International perspectives and attitudes towards speech and language therapy and multilingualism

ABSTRACT For decades, survey studies have shown that adequately assessing and treating multilingual children is a challenge for Speech & Language Therapists (SLTs), due to the scarcity of clinical tools and procedures that take into account the influence that atypical linguistic exposure and the L1 exert on L2 performance. However, the exact reasons why such tools and procedures are not available to SLTs were not fully clarified in previous studies. In a new online survey, 297 SLTs from 17 different countries were asked about their perspectives on SLT service provision for multilingual children with regard to their practical applicability and relevance. Participants were asked to rate their degree of agreement with 17 statements about multilingualism on a scale from 1 to 5. The results show that working with multilingual children is effortful for SLTs. SLTs indicated that assessment tools in languages beyond the societal language are not easily accessible, and that they are not content with the currently available tools. Similarly, SLTs find it difficult to access interpreters to help in the service provision for multilingual children. Participants also agreed that foreign language speakers should be recruited for the profession to increase the linguistic diversity among SLTs. Mandatory internships are considered useful to increase concrete experience in working with multilingual patients. Pointing to a lack of resources, SLTs consider easy access to useful materials and concrete experiences with multilingualism important to promote the development of multilingual and multicultural attitudes and appropriate approaches to linguistic diversity in clinical practice.

English in a Post-Pandemic Context: The Case of Multilingual Filipino Day Care Children

Day care centers in Zamboanga City in western Mindanao, Philippines use the home language as a medium of communication as they carry out daily lessons for young children through songs, stories, games, and various social activities. Workers at the study’s day care site disclosed that the pandemic has significantly impacted language use among children in the community in favor of English. Internet connection and access to popular programs, particularly YouTube, have provided very young children easy access to English. As guardians and parents were forced to work from home at the height of the pandemic, the home became an extension of work, with most homes having a space for work using a laptop, a tablet, a cellphone, or other similar gadgets. It is within this set-up that children who were born between 2019 and 2020, who grew up within the lockdown period imposed by the deadly spread of COVID-19, and attended day care for the first time when they were around three to four years of age were observed to speak in English. Data from an experimental task where 3–4-year-old children were asked to describe animals using target language forms in Chabacano reveal that young Zamboangueño children spoke English most of the time. Excerpts from the data demonstrate how children generally spoke in English even while the task was delivered primarily in Chabacano. Demographic data and linguistic background of both the children and adults as provided by the parents or guardians of these children through a questionnaire help explain this phenomenon in greater detail. A closer look at the data reveals translanguaging at work among these multilingual children.

The repetition of language-specific non-words: A weak clinical marker for language-related disorders in German-speaking monolingual and multilingual children

The repetition of language-specific non-words: A weak clinical marker for language-related disorders in German-speaking monolingual and multilingual children

Beyond Test Scores: Using Drawings and Language Samples to Characterize Multilingual Children's Language Profiles.

The United Nations Conventions on the Rights of the Child highlight the importance of children being involved in matters that concern them. Examining children's drawings can support speech-language pathologists' understanding of children's unique communication experiences, especially when considered alongside a language sample analysis (LSA). This study investigated drawings as a tool for use with multilingual children. The participants were 19 children aged 3 to 5 years who used Jamaican Creole and Jamaican English with either typical development (TD, n = 10) or developmental language disorder (DLD, n = 9). Children drew themselves talking, completed the Speech Activity and Participation Assessment of Children (SPAA-C), and provided language samples in both language contexts. Drawings were examined for themes and focal points, the SPAA-C was coded for emotion types, and language samples were analyzed using LSA measures (e.g., mean length of utterance, Index of Productive Syntax). The TD group represented themes more often within their drawings compared to the DLD group. Responses on the SPAA-C were generally positive for both groups. The TD group achieved higher scores across almost all LSA measures compared to the DLD group. The findings suggest that drawings, in concert with LSAs, may be a useful tool in understanding multilingual children's unique communication experiences.

Cultural or linguistic competence? Pre-service teachers’ perceptions of their preparation to teach multilingual children

ABSTRACT The increasing diversity of student populations across the U.S. underscores teachers’ need to be culturally and linguistically responsive. This qualitative case study explored 30 pre-service teachers’ perceptions of developing cultural and linguistic competencies in their preparation to teach multilingual children while taking an undergraduate upper-level ESOL course at a Southwest Florida University. Multiple data sources included online discussions, reflection papers, and field experience papers. The findings highlighted stages of participants’ perceptions of developing linguistic responsiveness, culturally responsive teaching, and cultural self-awareness. The findings suggest that pre-service teachers are primarily equipped with linguistic tools, leaving a gap in their cultural competence necessary for effective teaching in diverse classrooms. We recommend that teacher education programmes be re-evaluated to balance linguistic proficiency with cultural awareness, moving towards a holistic approach to teacher preparation that adequately addresses multilingual learners’ cultural and personal challenges.

Language assessment of Polish-English bilingual children by speech and language therapists who do not speak Polish: A feasibility study of a novel scoring schema for Sentence-Repetition-Tasks.

The challenge of assessing all languages of multilingual children by clinicians who do not speak the children's heritage languages is a global problem amplified by the increase in recent migration as well as a lack of available assessment tools. To evaluate the feasibility of using a novel scoring schema to assist English-speaking speech and language therapists (SLTs) practising in Ireland in scoring Polish Sentence-Repetition (SRep) Tasks in collaboration with Polish language teachers, and to profile and compare children's language performance across their languages using this scoring schema. LITMUS SRep in English and Polish was completed by 15 typically-developing children (aged 5-8 years) and 12 children with suspected Developmental Language Disorder (DLD) (aged 5-8 years). Scoring of the Polish SRep was completed collaboratively by a monolingual English-speaking SLT and a Polish language teacher and was compared to the scoring completed by Polish linguists. Findings indicated that the two scoring methods gave comparable outcomes. Individual participants' performance varied across the Polish and English SRep with some performing better in Polish, some in English and some with a relatively balanced performance across languages. Using pre-recorded sentences in conjunction with the novel scoring schema presented in this study has the potential to support SLTs to increase accuracy in diagnosing DLD and reduce both over- and underdiagnosis of multilingual children. Scoring guidelines need to incorporate crosslinguistic influence across languages of bilingual children while clearly outlining language specific clinical markers for DLD. What is already known on this subject Assessment of multilingual children's language skills and diagnosing Developmental Language Disorder (DLD) is extremely complex due to the heterogeneity associated with their language development. In Ireland, SLTs are largely monolingual English speakers and assessment of heritage languages (HL) is difficult due to a lack of available assessment tools and an increase in the number of languages spoken due to migration. Therefore, investigating ways of multilingual language assessment by monolingual English-speaking clinicians is crucial. What this paper adds to the existing knowledge Language processing tasks have demonstrated their utility and accuracy for language assessment in the research. This is the first study to use Sentence-Repetition (SRep) Tasks for both languages of Polish-English speaking children living in Ireland in which the researcher is a monolingual English-speaking SLT and the SRep Tasks are scored using a novel scoring schema with the assistance of a Polish language teacher. What are the potential or actual clinical implications of this work? SRep Tasks demonstrate the potential to assist in the assessment and diagnosis of DLD in the Polish-English speaking population in Ireland by English-speaking therapists in collaboration with a Polish language speaker. In this way, both the dominant societal language English and the HL Polish can be assessed to increase the accuracy of diagnosis of DLD. This study contributes towards the development of a SRep tool for use clinically by SLTs in Ireland. Further research is needed to create error profiles reflective of the specific Polish-English speaking population in Ireland.

Fluktuationen in den psychometrischen Kennwerten des hessischen „Kindersprachscreenings“ während und nach der Validierung

Most German states assess German language skills of children of the late kindergarten age in large-scale language screening programs. In the state of Hesse, language test “Kindersprachscreening” (“Language screening for children”, KiSS) was developed for this purpose. Its target group are kindergarten children aged four- to four-and-a-half years. In the present study, changes in the psychometric characteristics of KiSS – level of difficulty, item-total correlations, internal consistency – and possible explanations for these changes were scrutinized. For this purpose, seven KiSS samples were re-analysed retrospectively: five from KiSS validation studies and two from the Hessian language screening program. Psychometric characteristics of KiSS improved for the monolingual German-speaking children in the language screening program in comparison with KiSS validation studies. Fluctuations in the item-total correlations and internal consistency were linked to changes in the difficulty level of KiSS tasks. In the data of bi-/multilingual children, no fluctuations of psychometric characteristics were detected. Some findings point at a selection bias – an unexpectedly high proportion of children needing language therapies – in the samples of KiSS validation studies and of the language screening program. This bias can result in incorrect KiSS cut-off values, if these are updated on the basis of data from the language screening program.

CHALLENGES IN DEVELOPING LANGUAGES FOR BILINGUAL CHILDREN

The difficulties of defining bilingualism, evaluating language proficiency, navigating sociocultural factors, and overcoming methodological obstacles are all highlighted in this annotation, which explores the intricacies of multilingual child development. In order to properly help multilingual children in their language acquisition and cognitive development, it is imperative to comprehend these challenges

Multilingual parents’ language development concerns in the early years

ABSTRACT Implementing a multilingual family language policy can raise many language development concerns for parents. In this study, we report on the types of concerns held by Australian parents of multilingual children aged 0–4. Drawing on both questions from the Parents’ Evaluation of Developmental Status (PEDS) questions and our own custom measures, we surveyed 223 parents who were subdivided into two groups: those flagged by the PEDS as having children at risk of a language delay, and those who were not. The study finds that parents who report language concerns on the PEDS were much more likely to be concerned about their child’s language development on a range of custom measures than those without PEDS concerns. However, both groups reported similar rates of concerns about refusal to speak their home language. We also explored the extent to which parents sought advice about language development concerns, finding only a minority chose to discuss their language concerns with their Maternal and Child Health (MCH) nurse. Given the importance of language development screening in the early years, we argue that MCH nurses require more support and training to address language development concerns, particularly when negotiating concerns about potential atypical language development in multilingual children.

Multilingual Learners With Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder and Developmental Language Disorder: Assessing an Underserved Population of Learners

Purpose: The intent of this article is to explain the complexity of the diagnosis of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and developmental language disorder (DLD) in multilingual (ML) children and adolescents and to offer strategies for speech-language pathologists charged with diagnosis of language impairment in these children. Although both ADHD and DLD are common neurobehavioral disorders that exist across cultures, it can be difficult to diagnose MLs who are learning a second language (L2) and are not part of the mainstream culture because behavioral and language characteristics of both ADHD and DLD overlap with characteristics of L2 learning. As a result of this overlap of characteristics, ML children are both overidentified and underidentified for special education services. We describe the nature of the overlapping characteristics of ADHD, DLD, and L2 learning and offer a number of strategies that have evidence for their usefulness in the assessment of ML children. Conclusions: There is no quick and easy way to diagnose ADHD and DLD in ML children and adolescents. Clinicians must employ a convergent evidence approach, ideally using multiple strategies for evaluation including observations of the child in different contexts, interviewing caregivers and teachers (as well as the child), and administering formal and informal assessments. Clinicians should be alert to the possibility that L2 children's performance may be influenced by trauma associated with their migrant or refugee experiences and the stress of expectations in an unfamiliar environment, which overloads their working memory.

Multilingualism and developmental language disorder in Southeast Asian speech-language pathology practice: An international survey

Purpose This study aims to explore the current practices and challenges faced by speech-language pathologists in three Southeast Asian countries (Malaysia, Indonesia, and Vietnam) in assessing and treating multilingual children with developmental language disorder. Method A survey was designed and administered to 110 speech-language pathologists across Malaysia, Indonesia, and Vietnam. The survey contained 60 questions on current practices and knowledge of existing resources for assessing and treating multilingual children with developmental language disorder. Data were analysed to identify relationships between practices and demographic variables including country of origin, years of service, and speech-language pathologists’ multilingual status. Result Current practices reveal little knowledge and/or use of standardised tests for developmental language disorder across countries, but relatively high self-perceived competence when working with multilingual clients for Indonesia and Malaysia. However, several challenges were perceived across the board in practice with multilingual children, including socioeconomic challenges (i.e. costs involved for families and social status), insufficient training on the relevant topics, and limited access to appropriate tools and resources in their current practice. Conclusion Findings suggest the need for training and appropriate assessment tools to ensure the adoption of evidence-based service delivery for multilingual caseloads, minimising misclassification of developmental language disorder and boosting confidence levels in speech-language pathologists in Southeast Asia.

The Neurodevelopmental Dynamics of Multilingual Experience During Childhood: A Longitudinal Behavioral, Structural, and Functional MRI Study.

A neurobiological framework of bi- or multilingual neurocognitive development must consider the following: (i) longitudinal behavioral and neural measures; (ii) brain developmental constraints across structure and function; and (iii) the development of global multilingual competence in a homogeneous social environment. In this study, we investigated whether multilingual competence yields early changes in executive attention control mechanisms and their underlying neural structures in the frontal-striatal system, such as the dorsal anterior cingulate cortex/pre-supplemental area and the left caudate. We employed longitudinal neuroimaging and functional connectivity methods in a small group of multilingual children over two years. We found that the dACC/preSMA is functionally influenced by changes in multilingual competence but not yet structurally adapted, while the left caudate, in a developmental stage, is influenced, adapts, and specializes due to multilingual experience. Furthermore, increases in multilingual competence strengthen connections between the dACC/preSMA, left caudate, and other structures of the cognitive control network, such as the right inferior frontal gyrus and bilateral inferior parietal lobules. These findings suggest that multilingual competence impacts brain "adaptation" and "specialization" during childhood. The results may provide insights and guide future research on experience-expectant and experience-dependent brain plasticity to explain the "interaction" between multilingualism and neurodevelopment.

Assessing vocabulary size in Malaysian preschoolers: insights from the Malaysian English cross-linguistic lexical task and parents of multilingual children questionnaire

ABSTRACT This paper introduces the first freely available Malaysian English vocabulary size assessment for 4- to 6-year-old Malaysian children: the newly developed Malaysian English Cross-linguistic Lexical Task (MECLT). Using MECLT scores to measure vocabulary development, the study further explores the efficiency of two approaches: the sum of the number of home languages versus a language exposure composite score, in classifying children’s language profiles (monolingual, bilingual, or multilingual). Sixty children who predominantly speak English at home were assessed on their comprehension and production of nouns and verbs. Significant age effects in MECLT scores were observed between 4- and 5-year-olds, as well as between 4- and 6-year-olds, suggesting that the MECLT is a valuable tool for capturing vocabulary growth among Malaysian preschoolers. Furthermore, in analysing predictors of MECLT scores, the study found that the home language model, which includes age and the number of home languages, was the most accurate predictor of vocabulary size. In contrast, the language exposure composite score model, while detailed, did not significantly enhance predictive accuracy and proved to be more complex and time-consuming.

“There’s a Sense of Pride”: The Multilingual Children's Library as Perezhivanie

ABSTRACT Many libraries serve multilingual communities, however, research around multilingual libraries remains sparse. This study provides a theorized understanding of how a multilingual library is experienced by stakeholders, drawing on interviews and focus groups, event evaluations, and field observations. Findings highlight how multilingual communities value the metaphorical space, via the physical space allocated to stock and events, with borrowing influenced by complex rationales. The study troubles traditional notions of success within the field of library science, necessitating a reconceptualization of stock, borrowing and events in a multilingual library, aligning with notions of belonging and ownership that the multilingual library represents.

Navigating the third culture: Comparative case studies of Japanese expatriate students in Singapore and factors influencing English language development

This study utilises comparative case studies of three Japanese third-culture kids (TCKs) living in Singapore aged 16, each from a different school type (international school, Japanese school, and local Singapore school). It explores if the home language, language used in school, language used in social circles, and language of media consumed of Japanese TCKs in Singapore are enabling or mitigating factors of their development of English language. This study builds on the framework of TCKs established by Useem et al. (1963) and redefined by Pollock and Van Reken (2001), Dewaele et al.’s (2003) definition of bilingualism, and Tokuhama-Espinosa’s (2000) ten factors of success in raising multilingual children. Language used in school, language used in social circles, language of media consumed, and individual motivation were found to be enabling factors whereas home language was found to be neither an enabling nor mitigating factor. Differing pedagogies were found between different school types. Most of the findings are in line with the literature reviewed.