ERIC Number: EJ1413444
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2024
Pages: 25
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1479-0718
EISSN: EISSN-1747-7530
How Community and Family Support Bilingual Language Development: Insights from Bilingual Canadian Families
Andrea A. N. MacLeod; Natacha Trudeau; Pascal Lefebvre; Myriam L. H. Beauchamp; Phyllis Schneider; Ann Sutton; Daniel Bérubé
International Journal of Multilingualism, v21 n1 p439-463 2024
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.
Descriptors: Foreign Countries, Bilingual Students, Preschool Children, Vocabulary Development, Family Role, Community Role, Language Acquisition, Parent Participation, Language Minorities, Child Care, Official Languages, French, English
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Canada
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A