Examining the effects of socio-economic status and language input on adolescent English learners' speech production outcomes

The effect of input on bilingual adolescents’ long-term language outcomes in a foreign language instruction context

“…Principal component analysis (PCA) with varimax rotation was then used to detect factors underlying the nine-speech analysis (see Huang et al, 2018). The mean length of utterances item was dropped because of serious cross-loadings.…”

“…Although the current results added to the body of evidence supporting the effect of SES and parents’ L2 proficiency on bilingual learners’ L2 outcomes, the specific mechanism through which these environmental variables affect L2 outcomes remains unknown. Some researchers have speculated that the effect of SES on L2 outcomes is indirect and mediated by factors such as parents’ language use and knowledge of child development (Huang et al, 2018; Bronfenbrenner, 1979; Hoff, 2003; Rowe, 2008). Future research should explore the relationships between environmental variables, potential mediators and L2 outcomes to clarify the role of the environmental variables.…”

“…While input appears to play a prominent role in language development across learning contexts, L2 acquisition is a complex process that involves multiple factors (Dixon et al, 2012; Ortega, 2009; Paradis, 2011; Sun et al, 2016). In addition to input, environmental variables such as learners’ socio-economic status (SES) (generally indexed by parents’ educational level and income) and their parents’ English proficiency (Huang, Chang, Niu, & Zhi, 2018; Butler, 2013; Hamid, 2011), and individual difference variables such as motivation (Gardner, 1985; Moyer, 2004; Schumann, 1978) and language learning aptitude (Abrahamsson & Hyltenstam, 2008; Dörnyei, 2005; Harley & Hart, 1997) have also been found to play an important role in L2 acquisition.…”

“…In terms of environmental variables, several studies have found that SES (Huang et al, 2018; Butler, 2013; Hamid, 2011; Nikolov, 2009) and parents’ English proficiency and English use (Enever, 2011; Sun et al, 2016) contributed positively to learners’ FL outcomes. For example, Hamid (2011) found a positive correlation between SES (operationalized as parental education and family income) and English proficiency in secondary school English L2 learners in rural Bangladesh.…”

Reviewing the Influences of Family Environment on Bilingual Education of Preschool Children

“…The educational level of the parents reflects their linguistic and cultural competence to a certain extent. In Becky's (2018)study, he found that differences in socioeconomic status led to differences in language input, which was a significant predictor of children's second language proficiency, with learners whose parents had postgraduate education or higher having higher language input and significantly higher second language proficiency than their peers [14]. Parents with higher levels of education are more likely to foster a positive family culture and an open language environment.…”