Efficacy of Two School-Based Interventions on Notational Ability of Bilingual Preschoolers: A Group-Randomized Trial Study

Abstract

This randomized trial study aimed to analyze the efficacy of two different school-based interventions—normal preschool literacy teaching, and the PASSI intervention carried out for different durations (12 versus 30 weeks)—on notational knowledge of bilingual language-minority (BLM) preschoolers and their monolingual peers, after controlling their linguistic background and socio- economic status. A total of 251 children aged 4–5 years (M age = 4 years and 8 months; SD age = 6 months; 49% males, 51% females) were recruited from 19 classes in five preschools and randomly assigned to three groups that corresponded to different notational-focused interventions: (1) normal preschool literacy teaching (Condition 1; n = 47); (2) the PASSI intervention carried out for 12 weeks (Condition 2; n = 119); and (3) the PASSI intervention carried out for 30 weeks (Condition 3; n = 85). We collected two waves of data before and after the interventions regarding notational knowledge and phonological skills. Using the mixed ANOVA, we found that the PASSI intervention (both durations of 12 and 30 weeks) led to a significantly higher level of notational knowledge in BLM children and their monolingual peers. In addition, we observed that with the PASSI intervention carried out for 30 weeks, the baseline difference between BLMs and their monolingual peers was nullified. This study demonstrates that well-designed, school-based programs can benefit language-minority children by supporting their emergent notational knowledge. This paper also discusses implications for bilingual education policymaking.

Contribution of oral narrative textual competence and spelling skills to written narrative textual competence in bilingual language-minority children and monolingual peers

“…Alongside the similarities in growth, the comparison of oral narrative textual skills, spelling, and written narrative textual skills between monolinguals and BLMs shows that BLMs show quite equal oral narrative skills to monolinguals setting around the mean-level of 2 “sketch story” and 3 “incomplete story.” For what concerns the comparison of spelling skills, BLM children’s level of acquisition of sound-sign correspondence was significantly lower than those of their monolingual peers in the dictation task. As reported in the literature, a disadvantage at the orthographic level in BLM children has been observed since preschool when BLM children have reported lower levels of notational awareness than their monolingual peers ( Incognito et al, 2021 ). Notational awareness refers to preschoolers’ conceptual knowledge of the writing system assessed by the “invented spelling task” requiring the ability to process forms of writing similar to conventional spelling.…”

“…For what concerns the comparison of spelling skills, BLM children's level of acquisition of soundsign correspondence was significantly lower than those of their monolingual peers in the dictation task. As reported in the literature, a disadvantage at the orthographic level in BLM children has been observed since preschool when BLM children have reported lower levels of notational awareness than their monolingual peers (Incognito et al, 2021). Notational awareness refers to preschoolers' conceptual knowledge of the writing system assessed by the "invented spelling task" requiring the ability to process forms of writing similar to conventional spelling.…”

“…These children experience the most intensive and sustained exposure to their second language (L2) when they begin formal education because they come from homes where the language background is different from the societal language (e.g., Hoff et al, 2021 ). Previous studies indicate that BLM children have fewer emergent orthographic knowledge in kindergarten ( Incognito et al, 2021 ) and writing skills in school years ( Goodrich et al, 2016 ) with detrimental effects on achievement and school outcomes. A serious disadvantage also for online communication in written form, a widespread practice ( Alarcón et al, 2020 ).…”

“…Most evidence derived from studies typically focuses on English, where children’s spelling skills are challenged by an opaque language system with a strong inconsistency between its phoneme and grapheme correspondences. This research emphasizes the importance of investigating writing development in relation to children’s linguistic and socio-economic backgrounds (e.g., Incognito et al, 2021 ). We still know only very little about the role of spelling skills in writing texts in school-age BLM children acquiring Italian as L2.…”

Relationship between lexical, reading and spelling skills in bilingual language minority children and their monolingual peers

“…Some recent studies conducted in Italian primary schools have shown that bilingual language minority children underperform in emergent literacy skills such as notational awareness ( Incognito et al, 2021 ); spelling ( Bonifacci et al, 2020 , 2022 ; Vettori et al, 2022a , b ) and lexical skills compared to monolingual peers. The population of bilingual language minority children represent a very specific type of bilingualism and refer to those children who are exposed to the acquisition of the second language in an intensive and regular way only when they start formal instruction at school, while they continue to use their first language to communicate and interact at home ( Hoff et al, 2021 ).…”