ERIC Number: EJ755908
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2007
Pages: 18
Abstractor: Author
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0193-3973
EISSN: N/A
Available Date: N/A
Dual Language and Literacy Development of Spanish-Speaking Preschool Children
Paez, Mariela M.; Tabors, Patton O.; Lopez, Lisa M.
Journal of Applied Developmental Psychology, v28 n2 p85-102 Mar-Apr 2007
This article describes oral language and early literacy skills in Spanish and English for a sample of 319 bilingual children in Massachusetts and Maryland (ECS) and a comparison group of 144 monolingual Spanish-speaking children in Puerto Rico (PRC). Children were assessed as they entered and exited pre-kindergarten programs. Data collection included four subtests of the Woodcock Language Proficiency Battery and a researcher-developed phonological awareness task. Results show that, on average, children in the ECS sample performed below average in both English and Spanish when compared to monolingual norms and, despite some early literacy and oral language gains during their pre-kindergarten year, continue to lag behind monolingual children of the same age. Children in the ECS sample performed better in the early literacy tasks than in the oral language tasks in both English and Spanish. On average, the PRC sample scored significantly better than the ECS sample in Spanish oral language skills, but lower in phonological awareness skills. Educational implications and directions for future research are discussed.
Descriptors: Foreign Countries, Reading Skills, Preschool Children, Oral Language, Monolingualism, Language Proficiency, Emergent Literacy, Bilingualism, Spanish Speaking, Comparative Analysis
Elsevier. 6277 Sea Harbor Drive, Orlando, FL 32887-4800. Tel: 877-839-7126; Tel: 407-345-4020; Fax: 407-363-1354; e-mail: usjcs@elsevier.com; Web site: http://www.elsevier.com
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Evaluative
Education Level: Early Childhood Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Maryland; Massachusetts; Puerto Rico
Identifiers - Assessments and Surveys: Woodcock Language Proficiency Battery
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A
Author Affiliations: N/A