Children's Vocabulary Development Research Articles

The role of lexical and prosodic characteristics of mothers' child-directed speech for the early vocabulary development of Italian children with cochlear implants.

Variability in the vocabulary outcomes of children with cochlear implants (CIs) is partially explained by child-directed speech (CDS) characteristics. Yet, relatively little is known about whether and how mothers adapt their lexical and prosodic characteristics to the child's hearing status (before and after implantation, and compared with groups with normal hearing (NH)) and how important they are in affecting vocabulary development in the first 12 months of hearing experience. To investigate whether mothers of children with CIs produce CDS with similar lexical and prosodic characteristics compared with mothers of age-matched children with NH, and whether they modify these characteristics after implantation. In addition, to investigate whether mothers' CDS characteristics predict children's early vocabulary skills before and after implantation. A total of 34 dyads (17 with NH, 17 with children with CIs; ages = 9-32 months), all acquiring Italian, were involved in the study. Mothers' and children's lexical quantity (tokens) and variety (types), mothers' prosodic characteristics (pitch range and variability), and children's vocabulary skills were assessed at two time points, corresponding to before and 1 year post-CI activation for children with CIs. Children's vocabulary skills were assessed using parent reports; lexical and prosodic characteristics were observed in semi-structured mother-child interactions. Results showed that mothers of children with CIs produced speech with similar lexical quantity but lower lexical variety, and with increased pitch range and variability, than mothers of children with NH. Mothers generally increased their lexical quantity and variety and their pitch range between sessions. Children with CIs showed reduced expressive vocabulary and lower lexical quantity and variety than their peers 12 months post-CI activation. Mothers' prosodic characteristics did not explain variance in children's vocabulary skills; their lexical characteristics predicted children's early vocabulary and lexical outcomes, especially in the NH group, but were not related to later language development. Our findings confirm previous studies on other languages and support the idea that the lexical characteristics of mothers' CDS have a positive effect on children's early measures of vocabulary development across hearing groups, whereas prosodic cues play a minor role. Greater input quantity and quality may assist children in the building of basic language model representations, whereas pitch cues may mainly serve attentional and emotional processes. Results emphasize the need for additional longitudinal studies investigating the input received from other figures surrounding the child and its role for children's language development. What is already known on the subject Mothers' CDS is thought to facilitate and support language acquisition in children with various language developmental trajectories, including children with CIs. Because children with CIs are at risk for language delays and have acoustic processing limitations, their mothers may have to produce a lexically simpler but prosodically richer input, compared to mothers of children with NH. Yet, the literature reports mixed findings and no study to our knowledge has concurrently addressed the role of mothers' lexical and prosodic characteristics for children's vocabulary development before implantation and in the first 12 months of hearing experience. What this study adds to the existing knowledge The study shows that mothers of children with CIs produce input of similar quantity but reduced variety, and with heightened pitch characteristics, compared to mothers of children with NH. There was also a general increase in mothers' lexical quantity and variety, and in their pitch range, between sessions. Only their lexical characteristics predicted children's early vocabulary skills. Their lexical variety predicted children's expressive vocabulary and lexical variety only in the NH group. What are the practical and clinical implications of this work? These findings expand our knowledge about the effects of maternal input and may contribute to the improvement of early family-centred intervention programmes for supporting language development in children with CIs.

The Role of Parents in Increasing Children's English Vocabulary in Kelambir V Kebun

This research aims to discuss the important role of parents in increasing children's English vocabulary because there are still many parents who lack a role in improving children's English skills, especially increasing English vocabulary to improve language skills. Language skills are an important aspect of children's language development and have a significant impact on children's communication abilities. This study explored various ways parents can play a role in expanding children's English vocabulary. This research method involved a review of literature investigating the role of parents in children's vocabulary development. The research method used was qualitative research. Nine parents in Kelambir V Kebun Village were selected purposely as the subject of the research. Interview and observation were used to collect the data. The research results showed that parents had a strong influence in enriching children's vocabulary through speaking models, providing visual stimulation, and providing access to various English learning resources. In addition, this research also underlined the importance of creating an environment that supports language learning, adopting a positive approach, and understanding the child's developmental level. This research implied that parents have a central role in helping children acquire strong English language competence. By actively involving themselves in the language learning process, parents could make a significant contribution to the growth of their children's English vocabulary, but there were still many parents who did not have much effort and methods to increase their children's English vocabulary so that children had insufficient vocabulary.

Word Learning Opportunities in Preschool Storybook Apps

AbstractIn this study, I examined preschool storybook apps for the affordances they may provide for young children's vocabulary development. Specifically, I sought to understand (a) the degree to which storybook apps introduce new words, (b) the types of words children can learn, and (c) the degree to which digital enhancements align with new words in the story. To do so, I conducted a content analysis of 26,744 words in 70 best‐selling storybook apps in the United States. Results indicate that approximately 7.5% of words in preschool storybook apps might be considered new words for preschool children—which is comparable to the number of new words in preschool printed books. Furthermore, approximately 25% of new words in storybook apps are aligned with digital enhancements. These findings contribute new information about vocabulary in preschool storybook apps and the extent to which digital enhancements might support children's word learning on screen.

Developing Vocabulary for Children 24-36 Months through Daily Activities at Chan Son kindergarten, Yen Son District, Tuyen Quang Province, Vietnam

Educational scientists have affirmed that language development in general and vocabulary development for children in particular is one of the most important goals of preschool education. The period between 24-36 months is considered the golden period for developing vocabulary. A well-developed child's vocabulary will help them be confident, explore, learn, and express their own needs and desires with things, people, and phenomena surrounding their daily life. Daily living regime is the reasonable allocation of time and activities during the day for children, meeting the child's physiological and psychological needs, thereby helping children form good habits, adapting to the surrounding environment. Therefore, it can be said that a child's daily living regimen is a favorable environment for developing vocabulary for children 24 - 26 months old. The daily routine has its own unique activities suitable to the child's characteristics so that the child can passively and proactively absorb vocabulary through the process of learning and experiencing activities children's daily.

Music Exposure and Maternal Musicality Predict Vocabulary Development in Children with Cochlear Implants

Children with cochlear implants (CIs) exhibit large individual differences in vocabulary outcomes. We hypothesized that understudied sources of variance are amount of music engagement and exposure and maternal musicality. Additionally, we explored whether objective measures of music exposure captured from the CI data logs and parent reports about music engagement provide converging and/or complementary evidence, and whether these correlate with maternal musicality. Sixteen children with CIs (Mage = 16.7 months, SD = 7.7, range = 9.6–32.9) were tested before implantation and three, six, and 12 months post-CI activation. Music exposure throughout the first year post-activation was extracted from the CI data logs. Children’s vocabulary and home music engagement and maternal musicality were assessed using parent reports. Analyses revealed relatively low home music engagement and maternal musicality. Nonetheless, positive effects emerged for music exposure on children’s early receptive and expressive vocabulary and for maternal musicality on expressive vocabulary three months post-activation. Results underline the importance of combining automatic measures and parent reports to understand children’s acoustic environment and suggest that environmental music factors may affect early vocabulary acquisition in children with CIs. The presence of these effects despite poor music exposure and skills further motivates the involvement of children with CIs and their parents in music intervention programs.

Implementasi metode read aloud dalam mengembangkan kosa kata anak di kelompok A TK Mentari Loa Janan

This research is motivated by the importance of developing children's vocabulary in their language skills. The choice of method for implementation is also no less important. It is hoped that choosing the read aloud method will provide a pleasant atmosphere and be able to facilitate children in acquiring vocabulary. This method is a means that can provide a wide variety of vocabulary to children. The aim of this research is to determine the implementation of the read aloud method in developing the vocabulary of children in group A. This research is field research with a qualitative approach. Data was collected through observation, interviews and documentation. The subjects in this research were the Principal and Teacher of Mentari Loa Janan Kindergarten. The validity of the data was tested through triangulation of sources, techniques and time. Data analysis refers to the work steps of Miles, Huberman, and Saldana involving data condensation, data presentation, and drawing conclusions. The results of this research relate to the implementation of the read aloud method applied by teachers in developing children's vocabulary. Planning consists of selecting books that suit the learning theme and pre-reading the books. The implementation consists of creating a pleasant atmosphere, showing and introducing the book cover, actively interacting with the children, asking questions to the children and discussing about 4-5 new vocabulary words in the book. Evaluation is carried out by asking children about the story they have just read, including the content, concepts and vocabulary. Assessment of vocabulary development itself is carried out by paying attention to children's conversations and language use. Although the research results provide an overview of the implementation of the read aloud method, further research is still needed to evaluate the long-term impact on children's vocabulary development. This can be a basis for developing more concrete recommendations to increase the effectiveness of using the read aloud method in the context of vocabulary development for children in group A.

Impact of talker variability on language development in two-year-olds.

This research investigated the impact of the number of talkers with whom children engage in daily conversation on their language development. Two surveys were conducted in 2020, targeting two-year-olds growing up in Japanese monolingual families. Caregivers reported the number of talkers in three age groups and children's productive vocabulary via questionnaires. The results demonstrated significant effects of variability in talkers in fifth grade or above in Study 1 (N = 50; male = 23; r = .372) and in adult talkers in Study 2 (N = 175; non-nursery going; male = 76; r = .184) on children's vocabulary development, after controlling for language exposure time and demographic variables. Possible mediating factors are discussed. This research extends previous findings from immigrant bilingual children to monolingual speakers in Japan, suggesting the potential contribution of available talkers other than caregivers in conversational environments.

Children build their vocabularies in noisy environments: The necessity of a cross-disciplinary approach to understand word learning.

Research within the language sciences has informed our understanding of how children build vocabulary knowledge especially during early childhood and the early school years. However, to date, our understanding of word learning in children is based primarily on research in quiet laboratory settings. The everyday environments that children inhabit such as schools, homes, and day cares are typically noisy. To better understand vocabulary development, we need to understand the effects of background noise on word learning. To gain this understanding, a cross-disciplinary approach between researchers in the language and hearing sciences in partnership with parents, educators, and clinicians is ideal. Through this approach we can identify characteristics of effective vocabulary instruction that take into account the background noise present in children's learning environments. Furthermore, we can identify characteristics of children who are likely to struggle with learning words in noisy environments. For example, differences in vocabulary knowledge, verbal working memory abilities, and attention skills will likely influence children's ability to learn words in the presence of background noise. These children require effective interventions to support their vocabulary development which subsequently should support their ability to process and learn language in noisy environments. Overall, this cross-disciplinary approach will inform theories of language development and inform educational and intervention practices designed to support children's vocabulary development. This article is categorized under: Psychology > Language Psychology > Learning Psychology > Theory and Methods.

A longitudinal study of the relationship between children's exposure to screen media and vocabulary development.

This study addresses the scarcity of longitudinal research on the influence of screen media on children. It aims to explore the longitudinal relationship between children's vocabulary development and their exposure to screen media. The study, initiated in 2017, included 72 children (37 boys) in Östergötland, Sweden, at three key developmental stages: preverbal (9.7 months), early verbal (25.5 months) and preliterate (5.4 years). Parents completed online surveys at each time point, reporting their child's screen time. At 10 months and 2 years, age-appropriate vocabulary assessments were conducted online. At age 5, children's vocabulary was laboratory assessed. Correlational analysis revealed a negative relationship between language scores and screen media use across all time points. Furthermore, a cross-lagged panel model demonstrated that screen media use showed significant continuity over time, with screen use at age 2 predicting language development at ages 2 and 5. This longitudinal study, spanned from 9 months to 5 years of age, established a predictive negative association between children's exposure to screen media and their vocabulary development. These findings underscore the need to consider the impact of screen media on early childhood development and may inform guidelines for screen media use in young children.

Improving Kids English Vocabulary Through Immersive Mobile Games

This paper explores the potential of utilizing immersive games to enhance children's English vocabulary acquisition. In a world increasingly reliant on effective communication in English, developing a robust vocabulary foundation is essential. Traditional language learning methods can often be tedious for children, leading to disengagement and reduced motivation. To address this challenge, this study delves into the innovative use of immersive games as an educational tool. Immersive games offer a unique opportunity to create an interactive and captivating learning environment that can significantly improve a child's vocabulary retention and usage. This research investigates the effectiveness of various types of immersive games, including virtual reality, augmented reality, and interactive simulations, in engaging children and expanding their English vocabulary. The study also examines the impact of immersive experiences on motivation, engagement, and overall language learning outcomes. By examining the latest trends in educational game design and language acquisition theories, this paper presents a comprehensive overview of the advantages of using immersive games as a vehicle for vocabulary development in children. It highlights the potential for immersive games to foster a fun and dynamic language learning experience, making it a promising approach for educators and parents seeking to enhance children's English language skills. The findings of this study provide valuable insights into the design and implementation of immersive games for English vocabulary enhancement in children, shedding light on the significant role these games can play in shaping the future of language education. As technology continues to evolve, harnessing the power of immersive games for educational purposes becomes an exciting avenue for nurturing the linguistic abilities of the younger generation. Key Words: English Vocabulary, Immersive Games, Language Learning, Education, Child Learning, Educational Technology, Interactive Simulations, Motivation, Engagement, Language Education, Educational Games.

Screen media exposure and young children's vocabulary learning and development: A meta-analysis.

This meta-analysis synthesizes research on media use in early childhood (0-6 years), word-learning, and vocabulary size. Multi-level analyses included 266 effect sizes from 63 studies (Ntotal = 11,413) published between 1988-2022. Among samples with information about race/ethnicity (51%) and sex/gender (73%), most were majority White/Non-Hispanic and between 40%-60% female. Analyses revealed a small overall positive relation between screen media exposure and vocabulary (r = .23). Experimental studies yielded a small-to-medium effect (r = .30), with stronger effects for e-books than TV/video or games/apps, and non-significant effects for video chat. In correlational studies, there was no overall association between vocabulary size and naturalistic media exposure (r = .07), with the exception of naturalistic exposure to educational media (r = .17).

The Effects of Speech Sound Disorder on Vocabulary Development

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to examine the role of speech sound disorders in the development of children’s vocabulary through longitudinal analysis. Methods: Three hundred and twenty-four 6-year-old children were assessed in severity groups with speech sound disorders (SSD: general level, a slight error, the recommendation for in-depth examination, and suspected speech sound disorder). This study examined whether the model of change in vocabulary (receptive, expressive) original score according to age (3, 5, and 7 years old) of four SSD groups was suitable for the Latent Growth Model. In addition, cross-analysis was used to examine whether there was a significant difference in the classification of receptive and expressive vocabulary development normality (abnormal, normal development, slight delay, and vocabulary development delay) according to age changes in the four groups. Results: Results found that the severity of SSD did not affect vocabulary development continuity, but had a significant effect on the classification of vocabulary development normality standards. The severity of SSD had a significant effect on the development delay of the 7-year-old receptive vocabulary and the development delay of the 3-year-old expressive vocabulary. Conclusion: It would be desirable to check the vocabulary development of children with SSD according to age, understanding that subjects with suspected SSD can show significant differences in expressive vocabulary at the age of 3 and receptive vocabulary development at the age of 7.

Lexical development in an Indonesian-Balinese bilingual child

It is debatable whether bilingual children can distinguish between their two languages from an early age. This study aims to describe how a bilingual infant differentiates between her two languages, focusing on the acquisition of a dual vocabulary. This topic is addressed in a bilingual case study of an infant who acquired a national language (Indonesian) and an indigenous language (Balinese) simultaneously from birth until the age of one year and eleven months. Within the family, the two languages are used interchangeably. The parents' native language is Balinese, and Indonesian is the neighbourhood’s lingua franca. However, within the peer group, Indonesian is the dominant language. Daily diaries are used to record the child's vocabulary development in combination with weekly video recordings in the two language settings. The study shows that the child develops vocabulary in both Indonesian and Balinese. Since Indonesian and Balinese are closely related, the child also develops words that are shared by the two languages. During the development of the child’s vocabulary, Indonesian words outnumbered Balinese words due to the dominant use of Indonesian in the environment. The research demonstrates that translation equivalents (TEs) mean those language choices are available from the early stages of language development. The study shows that translation equivalents (TEs) demonstrate those language choices are available from the initial stages of language development. The findings highlight that a child who is exposed to two closely related languages can differentiate different language systems from an early age. Despite the child's ability to differentiate between the two languages, the national language develops at a far quicker rate than the indigenous language.

Cognitively stimulating maternal language as predictor for vocabulary growth

Maternal interaction behavior, particularly maternal language input, is considered to be one of the key factors for child vocabulary development. Previous studies have shown that a higher quantity and diversity of maternal language input is associated with faster vocabulary development. In the present study, we examined cognitive-verbal stimulation as a specific aspect of maternal input, controlling for other relevant internal child characteristics and external environmental influences. Additionally, we compared the effects of cognitive stimulation on vocabulary development with a standard measurement of maternal language input, such as its quantity, to identify specific the effects of cognitive-verbally stimulating interaction behavior. We used data from the Newborn Cohort Study of the German National Educational Panel Study (N = 1127 families) and conducted latent growth curve modeling to examine the vocabulary growth of children between 3 and 7 years of age. As control variables, we also included maternal education and household income in the analyses as well as the children’s age, gender, and initial vocabulary level when they were 2 years old, their phonological working memory, and whether they were learning another native language other than German. The results indicated that general aspects of maternal input, such as the quantity and length of the utterances of maternal language input for 2‑years-olds, were relevant in the earlier stages of vocabulary development, while cognitive stimulation was an important predictor of growth across the later stages of vocabulary development in 3‑ to 7‑year-olds.

Not all is forgotten: Children's associative matrices for features of a word learning episode.

Word learning studies traditionally examine the narrow link between words and objects, indifferent to the rich contextual information surrounding objects. This research examined whether children attend to this contextual information and construct an associative matrix of the words, objects, people, and environmental context during word learning. In Experiment 1, preschool-aged children (age: 3;2-5;11 years) were presented with novel words and objects in an animated storybook. Results revealed that children constructed associations beyond words and objects. Specifically, children attended to and had the strongest associations for features of the environmental context but failed to learn word-object associations. Experiment 2 demonstrated that children (age: 3;0-5;8 years) leveraged strong associations for the person and environmental context to support word-object mapping. This work demonstrates that children are especially sensitive to the word learning context and use associative matrices to support word mapping. Indeed, this research suggests associative matrices of the environment may be foundational for children's vocabulary development.

Online Computerized Adaptive Tests of Children's Vocabulary Development in English and Mexican Spanish.

Measuring the growth of young children's vocabulary is important for researchers seeking to understand language learning as well as for clinicians aiming to identify early deficits. The MacArthur-Bates Communicative Development Inventories (CDIs) are parent report instruments that offer a reliable and valid method for measuring early productive and receptive vocabulary across a number of languages. CDI forms typically include hundreds of words, however, and so the burden of completion is significant. We address this limitation by building on previous work using item response theory (IRT) models to create computer adaptive test (CAT) versions of the CDIs. We created CDI-CATs for both comprehension and production vocabulary, for both American English and Mexican Spanish. Using a data set of 7,633 English-speaking children ages 12-36 months and 1,692 Spanish-speaking children ages 12-30 months, across three CDI forms (Words & Gestures, Words & Sentences, and CDI-III), we found that a 2-parameter logistic IRT model fits well for a majority of the 680 pooled vocabulary items. We conducted CAT simulations on this data set, assessing simulated tests of varying length (25-400 items). Even very short CATs recovered participant abilities very well with little bias across ages. An empirical validation study with N = 204 children ages 15-36 months showed a correlation of r = .92 between language ability estimated from full CDI versus CDI-CAT forms. We provide our item bank along with fitted parameters and other details, offer recommendations for how to construct CDI-CATs in new languages, and suggest when this type of assessment may or may not be appropriate.

Are translation equivalents special? Evidence from simulations and empirical data from bilingual infants

The acquisition of translation equivalents is often considered a special component of bilingual children's vocabulary development, as bilinguals have to learn words that share the same meaning across their two languages. This study examined three contrasting accounts for bilingual children's acquisition of translation equivalents relative to singlets (i.e., words that are first labels for a referent): the Avoidance Account whereby translation equivalents are harder to learn, the Preference Account whereby translation equivalents are easier to learn, and the Neutral Account whereby translation equivalents and singlets are learned similarly. To adjudicate between these accounts, Study 1 explored patterns of translation equivalent learning under a novel computational model — the Bilingual Vocabulary Model — which quantifies translation equivalent knowledge as a function of the probability of learning words in each language, and includes a bias parameter that varies the difficulty of learning translation equivalents according to each account. Study 2 tested model-derived predictions against vocabulary data from 200 French–English bilingual children aged 18–33 months. Results showed a close match between the model predictions and bilingual children's patterns of translation equivalent learning. At smaller vocabulary sizes, data matched the Preference Account, while at larger vocabulary sizes they matched the Neutral Account. Our findings show that patterns of translation equivalent learning emerge predictably from the word learning process, and potentially reveal a qualitative shift in translation equivalent learning as bilingual children develop and learn more words.

Receptive and expressive vocabulary development in children learning English as an additional language: Converging evidence from multiple datasets.

Children learning English as an additional language (EAL) are a diverse and growing group of pupils in England's schools. Relative to their monolingual (ML) peers, these children tend to show lower receptive and expressive vocabulary knowledge in English, although interpretation of findings is limited by small and heterogeneous samples. In an effort to increase representativeness and power, the present study combined published and unpublished datasets from six cross-sectional and four longitudinal studies investigating the vocabulary development of 434 EAL learners and 342 ML peers (age range: 4;9-11;5) in 42 primary schools. Multilevel modelling confirmed previous findings of significantly lower English vocabulary scores of EAL learners and some degree of convergence in receptive but not expressive knowledge by the end of primary school. Evidence for narrowing of the gap in receptive knowledge was found only in datasets spanning a longer developmental period, hinting at the protracted nature of this convergence.

How community and family support bilingual language development: insights from bilingual Canadian families

ABSTRACT While previous research has shown that language use in the home is an important factor in bilingual language development, little research has focused on how specific language strategies used by parents relate to bilingual children's language exposure and vocabulary development. Yet, for parents, this information has the potential to inform their day-to-day decisions about language use in their home. The present study aims to contribute to this understanding by applying a Bioecological Systems Model to understand how language use within the community and within the family influenced young children’s amount of language exposure and vocabulary abilities. A total of 51 French-English bilingual four-year-old Canadian children participated in the present study. Children’s exposure to each language was measured through parent reports, and their vocabulary was assessed in each language. Differences in community context were not a significant predictor of the amount of exposure or vocabulary abilities. Family language strategies predicted vocabulary scores in English but not French, whereas the amount of exposure predicted vocabulary scores in French but not English. These findings suggest that, in the preschool years, family language use strategies and amount of exposure impact vocabulary development and that their role differs based on context.

Preschool Minority Children's Persian Vocabulary Development: A Language Sample Analysis.

This study linked background TV and socioeconomic status (SES) to minority children’s Persian vocabulary development. To this end, 80 Iranian preschool children (aged 5–6 years old) from two minority groups of Arabs and Turks were selected using stratified random sampling. They were simultaneous bilinguals, i.e., their mother tongue was either Arabic or Azari and their first language was Persian. Language sample analysis (LSA) was used to measure vocabulary development through a 15-min interview by language experts (PhD in applied linguistics). The LSA measures included total number of utterances (TNU), total number of words (TNW), total number of new words (NDW), and mean length of utterance (MLU). A series of independent-samples t test, paired-samples t test, and repeated measures MANOVA tests were ran to examine data. Results showed significant improvements in children’s vocabulary scores from pretest to posttest for all children. In addition, high-SES children scored higher on the vocabulary measures in pretest and posttest. Moreover, background TV was associated with higher means in the TNW and the NDW in groups. The researchers concluded that background TV may be related to higher vocabulary scores in low-SES families as it may compensate for some linguistics gaps in these families including lower amount of child-parent interaction, play, and parents’ level of literacy.