Dual language abilities of bilingual four-year olds Initial findings from the Early Childhood Study of Language and Literacy Development of Spanish-speaking Children

Dual language abilities of bilingual four-year olds

Initial findings from the Early Childhood Study of Language and Literacy Development of Spanish-speaking Children

Tabors

Patton O.

Tabors, Patton O.

Author

Páez

Mariela

Páez, Mariela

Dept. of Teacher Education, Special Education, Curriculum and Instruction, Lynch School of Education

Author

Lopez

Lisa M.

Lopez, Lisa M.

Author

text

article

2003 2003 monographic

2003

monographic

English eng

English

eng

electronic born digital application/pdf

electronic

born digital

application/pdf

This article describes language and early literacy skills in Spanish and English for a sample of 344 bilingual children in Massachusetts and Maryland (ECS) and a comparative group of 152 monolingual Spanish-speaking children in Puerto Rico (PRC). The children in the study were assessed as 4 year-olds entering pre-kindergarten programs. There were no performance differences across languages or between samples on a phonological awareness task. The ECS sample scored, on average, two standard deviations below the monolingual population mean in oral language subtests of the Woodcock Language Proficiency Battery in both languages. On average, the PRC sample scored significantly better than the ECS sample in Spanish oral language skills. Dual language analyses demonstrate a negative correlation across languages for vocabulary, but positive correlations across languages for all other oral language and early literacy tasks. Future analyses are outlined.

Version of record.

NABE Journal of Research and Practice 1 1 70 91 pp. 70-91 Winter 2003

NABE Journal of Research and Practice

1 1 70 91 pp. 70-91 Winter 2003

70 91 pp. 70-91

pp. 70-91

Winter 2003

http://www.uc.edu/njrp/pdfs/Tabors.pdf

MChB English eng

MChB

English eng

English

eng