Spanish-speaking Preschoolers Research Articles

Phonemic Awareness and Beginning Reading and Writing

Vernon and Ferreiro (1999) took Spanish-speaking kindergartners' levels of writing as an independent variable and their performance on oral-segmentation tasks as the dependent variable. They found a highly significant multiple correlation R and concluded that: 1) children's ability to deal with oral-segmentation tasks seems to depend on their knowledge of the writing system and 2) the ability to segment words into phonemes is not a cause or prerequisite for learning to read and write. To find out if a similar relationship can be found among English-speaking kindergartners, we gave 68 kindergartners a writing task and two oral-segmentation tasks similar to those used by Vernon and Ferreiro. In the writing task, we asked each child to write four pairs of words—“ham” and “hamster,” “butter” and “butterfly,” “key” and “monkey,” and “gum” and “bubblegum.” We, too, found a close relationship between children's levels of writing and their levels of oral segmentation, and concluded that their knowledge of our writing system enables them to write at a higher level and to segment words phonemically.

Morphology in incipient bilingual Spanish-speaking preschool children with specific language impairment

This study examined the use of clitic pronouns by incipient bilingual Spanish-speaking 4- and 5-year-old children with and without language impairments. Incipient bilingualism refers to the initial stages of contact between two languages, when an individual still has only passive knowledge of a second language. The participants included 10 children with typical language development and 10 children with specific language impairment (SLI). The experimental task elicited clitic pronouns serving as direct objects with finite verbs (lo, la, los, and las). The children who had SLI used clitic pronouns less frequently than their age-matched peers and were less accurate in their use of gender agreement for clitics. No group differences were found for third person singular and plural verb inflections in the preterite tense. These results were compared to previous studies of Spanish- and Italian-speaking children with SLI.

Grammatical morphology deficits in Spanish-speaking children with specific language impairment.

The focus of this study was the use of grammatical morphology by Spanish-speaking preschoolers with specific language impairment (SU). Relative to both same-age peers and younger typically developing children with similar mean lengths of utterance (MLUs), the children with SU showed more limited use of several different grammatical morphemes. These limitations were most marked for noun-related morphemes such as adjective-agreement inflections and direct object clitics. Most errors on the part of children in all groups consisted of substitutions of a form that shared most but not all of the targets grammatical features (e.g., correct tense and number but incorrect person). Number errors usually involved singular forms used in plural contexts; person errors usually involved third person forms used in first person contexts. The pattern of limitations of the children with SU suggests that, for languages such as Spanish, additional factors might have to be considered in the search for clinical markers for this disorder. Implications for evaluation and treatment of language disorders in Spanish-speaking children are also discussed.

Writing Development: A Neglected Variable in the Consideration of Phonological Awareness

In this article, Sofía Vernon and Emilia Ferreiro present the results of an experimental study that looks at the relationship between the development of phonological awareness and the development of writing in Spanish-speaking kindergartners. The results of this study speak to the ongoing controversy about approaches to early literacy instruction — that is, whether children's ability to segment words into phonemes (phonological awareness) is a prerequisite for learning how to read and write. These results show that phonological awareness is not an either/or phenomenon, but that it develops across levels and that this development is related to children's writing development. Vernon and Ferreiro discuss several important educational implications based on their findings: first, that children's ability to benefit from systematic phonics instruction depends on their level of writing development; and second, that encouraging children to write in kindergarten and first grade is an important way to stimulate the analysis of spoken words or other meaningful units.

"Ser" Helps Spanish Speakers Identify "Real" Properties

We examined the effects of language on developing knowledge of the distinction between "real" and "apparent" properties of objects by comparing the performance of English- and Spanish-speaking monolingual and bilingual children on an appearance-reality task in 3 experiments. In Experiment 1, monolingual English- and Spanish-speaking preschoolers participated in an appearance-reality task in which Spanish speakers heard forms of the Spanish verb ser in place of the English verb "is" in the reality questions and forms of the Spanish verb estar in place of "is" in the appearance questions. Spanish speakers performed reliably better than English speakers on the questions about the real properties of less familiar objects. In Experiment 2, English-Spanish bilingual children participated in the same task used in Experiment 1. They answered half of the questions in English and half in Spanish. Bilinguals identified the real properties of objects reliably better in Spanish than in English, indicating that language can affect the ability to identify real properties. In Experiment 3, we examined the role of language in the ability of monolingual English-speaking 3-year-olds to identify real and apparent properties. These children answered 2 different types of appearance and reality questions, using the same objects from Experiments 1 and 2. Half of the children answered standard appearance-reality questions; the other children answered elaborated versions of the English questions. Children in both conditions performed equivalently, suggesting that English-speaking children are not easily influenced by language in these tasks. Apparently, the advantage that the Spanish copula, ser, gives speakers of Spanish is important and unique because it cannot easily be instantiated in English.

Ser Helps Speakers Identify "Real" Properties.

We examined the effects of language on developing knowledge of the distinction between "real" and "apparent" properties of bjects by comparing the perfomance of English- and Spanish-spiaking monolingual and bilingual children on an appearance-reality task in 3 experiments. In Experiment 1, monolingul - s nf Spanish-speaking preschoolers participated in an a peprance-reality task in which Spanish speakers heard forms of the Spanish verb ser in place of the English verb "is" in the reality questions and forms of the Spanish verb estar in palce of "is" in the appearance questions. Spanish speakers performed reliably better than English speakers on the question about the real properties of less familiar objecrd. In Experiment 2, English-Spanish bilingual children participated in the same tadk used in Experiment 1. They answered half of the questions in English and half in Spanish. Bilinguals identified the real properties of objects reliably better in Spanish than in English, indicating that language can affect the ability to identify real properties. In Experiment 3, we examined the role of language in the ability of monolingual English-speaking 3-year-olds to identify real and apparent properties. These children answerd different type of appearance and reality questions, using the same objects from Experiments 1 and Half of the children answered standard appearance-reality questions; the other children answered elaborated versions of the English questions. Children in both conditions performed equivalently, suggesting that English-speaking children are not easily influenced by language in these tasks. Apparently, the advantage that the Spanish copual, ser, gives speakers of Spanish is important and unique because it cannot easily be instantiated in English.

Guidelines for Identifying Primarily Spanish-Speaking Preschool Children With Language Impairment

Guidelines for Identifying Primarily Spanish-Speaking Preschool Children With Language Impairment

Phonological Patterns in Normally Developing Spanish-Speaking 3- and 4-Year-Olds of Puerto Rican Descent

This study presents a quantitative and qualitative description of the phonological patterns in Spanish-speaking preschoolers of Puerto Rican descent. Phonological processes and nontargeted process errors were analyzed for 24 3-year-old and 30 4-year-old Spanish speakers. Analyses were made in reference to the Puerto Rican dialects of Spanish, yielding a number of patterns that characterize the phonological patterns in these children.

Asking "Good" Questions: Perspectives from Qualitative Research on Practice, Knowledge, and Understanding in Teacher Education

ing. Curriculum Inquiiy, 19, 379-403. Saville-Troike, M., & Kleifken, J. A. (1986). Scripts for school: Cross-cultural communication in elementary classrooms. Text, 6, 207-221. Strong, M. (1983). Social styles and the second language acquisition of Spanishspeaking kindergartners. TESOL Quarterly, 17, 241-258. Toukomaa, P., & Skutnabb-Kangas, T. (1979). The intensive teaching of the mother tongue to migrant children of pre-school age and children in the lower level of comprehensive school. Helsinki: The Finnish National Commission for UNESCO. Urzfa, C. (1986). A children's story. In P. Rigg & D. S. Enright (Eds.), Children and ESL: Integrating perspectives (pp. 93-112). Washington, DC: TESOL. Willett, G. (1987). Contrasting acculturation patterns of two non-English-speaking preschoolers. In H. Trueba (Ed.), Success or failure: Learning and the language minority student (pp. 69-84). Cambridge: Newbury House. Wong Fillmore, L. (1979). Individual differences in second language acquisition. In C. Fillmore, D. Kempler, & W. Wang (Eds.), Individual differences in language ability and language behavior (pp. 203-228). New York: Academic Press.

The effects of bilingualism on preschoolers' private speech

This study was designed to examine the effects of bilingualism on the development of self-regulatory private speech. The sample consisted of 34 Spanish-speaking preschoolers learning English as a second language in the context of a bilingual preschool program in El Paso, Texas. Protocols of spontaneous private speech were obtained with video recorders while children worked by themselves in a corner of the preschool classroom on block design, classification, and story-sequencing tasks. Instructions were given bilingually, in order to encourage the use of both languages within the experimental setting. Results show that the private speech of bilingual preschoolers appears to develop normally: Namely, it follows a curvilinear relation to mental age, increases with task difficulty, and is gradually subvocalized in the form of whispers and mutterings. The findings suggest that the experience of learning a second language in the context of an additive bilingual preschool program has positive effects both on the frequency of private speech and on the number of diverse functions for which it is used. No evidence was found, however, in support of the hypothesis that bilingual children use their two languages to “code switch” while working on challenging cognitive tasks.

Developing definitions of objects and events in English and Spanish speakers

We examined English and Spanish speakers' reliance on defining and characteristic features in developing definitions of objects and events. Native monolingual English- and Spanish-speaking kindergartners, second graders, fourth graders, and adults participated in a task in which they were presented with brief stories, and judged whether or not the story described particular terms. We found that both English and Spanish speakers increasingly relied on defining features with development, and that they relied on characteristic features to a smaller but constant degree throughout development. We also found that Spanish speakers were more likely to rely on defining as opposed to characteristic features for the objects, whereas English speakers were more likely to rely on defining features for the events, especially at certain points in development. We discuss the implications for theories of semantic and conceptual development.

Comparison of Item Responses of English- and Spanish-Speaking Children Using Minimum Logit Chi-Squared Regression

A total of 102 Spanish-speaking preschool pupils and 104 English-speaking pupils were individually administered the Spanish and English versions of the Cooperative Preschool Inventory. Minimum logit chi-squared regression was applied to each of the 33 items of the verbal scale of the inventory. Several differences in the response patterns of the two groups were noted, although the number of potentially biased items was small (12%).

Social Styles and the Second Language Acquisition of Spanish-Speaking Kindergartners

Previous studies that have examined the relationship between personality factors and second language acquisition have yielded contradictory findings. However, when these studies are divided according to whether they examined natural communicative language as compared with formal tested language, it becomes clear that certain personal characteristics are consistently related to successful language learning. The present study examines seven such characteristics in connection with success at acquiring certain communicative language skills among thirteen Spanish-speaking kindergartners who began the school year with almost no English. The question of motivation to be a part of the target language group and preference for English speakers as playmates and friends is also discussed on the basis of sociometric evidence. Contrary to previous conclusions (e.g., WongFillmore 1976), the faster learners did not seek to befriend or identify more with English speakers than did the slower learners. Faster learners, however, were more talkative, responsive, and gregarious than slower learners. Implications of these findings for teachers and researchers are discussed. This study attempts to discover some of the reasons why young children from similar backgrounds will acquire a second language at markedly different rates and with varying degrees of success. Studies by Wong-Fillmore (1976), and Cathcart, Strong, and Fillmore (1979) have already shown that, within a given time period, in any group some children will become able to communicate comfortably, some will learn enough to get by, and some will acquire hardly any skills in the second language. Recently, much second language research (reviewed in Long 1982) has suggested that language learners who can maintain communicative interactions with native speakers experience the optimal conditions for improving their skills in the new language. The focus of most of this

A COMMENT ON NEDLER AND SEBERA'S "INTERVENTION STRATEGIES FOR SPANISH-SPEAKING PRESCHOOL CHILDREN"

GILLMORE, GERALD M., and STALLINGS, WILLIAM M. A Comment on Nedler and Sebera's Intervention Strategies for Spanish-speaking Preschool Children. CHILD DEVELOPMENT, 1972, 43, 1035-1038. In evaluating 3 intervention strategies for Spanish-speaking preschool children, Nedler and Sebera (1971) presented data which they concluded gave evidence of the superiority of a planned Bilingual Early Childhood Educational Program over both a Parental Involvement Program and a traditional day-care center. However, while they may have developed a successful strategy, the analyses which they presented did not support that conclusion. Several logical and computational errors were evident. Further evaluation of the program would seem to be indicated.

A Comment on Nedler and Sebera's "Intervention Strategies for Spanish-Speaking Preschool Children"

A Comment on Nedler and Sebera's "Intervention Strategies for Spanish-Speaking Preschool Children"

INTERVENTION STRATEGIES FOR SPANISH-SPEAKING PRESCHOOL CHILDREN

NEDLER, SHARI, and SEBERA, PEGGY. Intervention Strategies for Spanish-Speaking Preschool Children. CHILD DEVELOPMENT, 1971, 42, 259-267. This study compared 3 strategies of early intervention designed to increase the language and communication skills of disadvantaged 3-year-old Mexican-American children. Treatment group I (T1 included 16 children in a planned Bilingual Early Childhood Educational Program. Group T2 included 16 children who were indirectly involved in a Parental Involvement Program. Group T3 was composed of 14 children in a traditional day-care center. Before and after a 9-month intervention period, all Ss were tested with the Leiter International Performance Scale and the Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test in English and Spanish. On all measures, T1 made significantly greater gains than T2 or T3, indicating the greater effectiveness of the planned Bilingual Early Childhood Education Program.

Intervention Strategies for Spanish-Speaking Preschool Children

Intervention Strategies for Spanish-Speaking Preschool Children

A Bilingual Oral Language and Conceptual Development Program for Spanish-Speaking Pre-School Children

Of the approximately 90,000 migrants identified in Michigan in 1968, about 10% were intrastate and another 10% left the migrant stream at the end of the growing season to make Michigan their home. The great majority, however, came to Michigan from other states in May or June, moved within Michigan every two to four weeks, and then returned to their home states in September or October. Most of Michigan's migrants are from Texas and New Mexico, and most have a Spanish-speaking background. There are some migrants from Florida, California, and other states, including some blacks and Appalachia whites. The Michigan Department of Education runs a comprehensive program serving the social, physical, occupational, and educational needs of this population. The materials I will describe are a part of the educational program at the preschool level, which in Michigan means primarily fouryear-olds. Although the older children generally speak a non-standard dialect of English learned from their peers and in school, the preschoolers most often speak a non-standard dialect of Spanish, learned from their parents. There are obviously many serious problems in implementing a meaningful educational program for a highly mobile, non-English-speaking population. The two problems of most relevance at this time are: (1) the teachers involved in the program, who usually have experience with disadvantaged youngsters, have little background in either linguistics or in teaching English as a foreign language, and (2), because of this lack of appropriate preparation, the teacher is more likely to assume that low I.Q. or motivation accounts for student failure rather than assuming that she can and should modify her language-teaching techniques until she becomes effective. For these reasons, the program I will describe gives the teacher detailed and carefully planned oral language lessons that take into account important linguistic considerations. This provides her with linguistically controlled activities, while at the same time preparing her to develop similar activities of her own. The package we developed should be thought of as an ordered sequence of suggestions to teachers. We have sought to provide