Language abilities in bilingual children: The effect of family background and language exposure on the development of Turkish and Dutch

Abstract

Aims and objectives: The study investigates the effects of family background and language exposure on the language abilities of Turkish-Dutch bilingual children in their heritage language, Turkish, as well as in the majority language, Dutch. Methodology: Thirty-five children (3;01-6;11) participated in the study. All children took two standardized proficiency tests: CELF-Preschool 2 in Dutch and TEDİL in Turkish. Parents were interviewed on the family background and on the children’s use of and exposure to Dutch and Turkish. Data and analysis: Children’s test scores in Dutch and Turkish were analyzed in relation to the amount of exposure to Dutch and Turkish and the socio-economic and linguistic background of the parents. Findings: The results reveal that the children’s home context—both the linguistic background of the parents and the socio-educational level of the mother—affected the children’s scores, especially for Dutch. The amount of exposure to and use of Dutch and Turkish was correlated to the Dutch and Turkish scores. A qualitative discussion of children’s profiles revealed that children’s performance can only be fully understood when details of the home context, obtained through interviews with the parents, are taken into account. Originality: To date, few studies on bilingual children from families with a migration background have examined young children’s general language abilities in both the heritage language and the majority language. Implications: The study raises awareness of the importance of evaluating bilingual children’s language proficiencies in both languages, considering the effects of family background and language exposure on children’s bilingual language development. Limitations: The children’s language abilities were mapped on the basis of widely recognized standardized tests originally developed for the assessment of monolingual children. As more bilingual instruments are being tested and developed, future research will benefit from these tools.

Covid-19 pandemic and its impact on increasing the risks of children's addiction to electronic games from a social work perspective

“… I would like to clarify that children at the age of 6 years were able to answer the survey question themselves because they have completed kindergarten and have the ability to read, in addition to the vast majority of children starting at the age of 4 years in the UAE, they get used to using electronic devices significantly, and this enabled them to develop their abilities in reading and writing online on electronic devices. It is worth mentioning, Many scientific studies have proven that the brain of children at the age of 3-5 years absorbs a huge amount of new words that are engraved in their memory, and their linguistic growth rate may reach to accept 900-2500 new words, and sentences become longer, more quality and complex (Look: Altinkamis & Simon, 2020 ; Thorpe, 2006 ) by accustoming parents to their children on reading and writing continuously, and this is what develops their language abilities through questions and answers and learning in fields of knowledge, whether in art or science or even while playing and practicing sports activities (Look: MacLeod et al, 2020 ; Jasińska et al, 2020 ). It should also be noted that the first group in the age group of 6-8 years in the current study includes children who have become in a new educational stage after the kindergarten stage, which is the primary stage, and therefore this age is able to reading, and answering the questions asked.…”

Language Development in Turkish-Dutch Bilingual Children

“…The majority of the children with a Turkish migration background are successive bilinguals with Turkish as their home language and an exposure to Dutch when they start attending daycare or school. Knowledge of the language development and language proficiency of bilingual Turkish-Dutch children is mainly based on research performed in the Netherlands [34-36] but is limited in Flanders [37]. However, the results of these studies cannot be generalized to the population of Turkish-Dutch (Flemish variant) children in Flanders.…”

Learning to read in environments with high risk of illiteracy: The role of bilingualism and bilingual education in supporting reading.

“…For example, previous studies have found evidence of cross-linguistic transfer of phonological awareness and tone awareness from a tonal L1 to reading in a nontonal L2 (Wang et al, 2005; Wang et al, 2009; Yeung & Chan, 2013). Together, existing studies on bilingual language and reading acquisition highlight the importance of assessing bilingual children’s L1 and L2 skills (Altinkamis & Simon, 2020). Overall, research consistently demonstrates that bilingualism at home and at school benefits children’s language and literacy development in both of their languages.…”