The measure matters: Language dominance profiles across measures in Spanish–English bilingual children

Authors

Lisa M. Bedore, the University of Texas at Austin
Elizabeth D. Pena, The University of Texas at Austin
Connie Summers, Brigham Young UniversityFollow
Maria D. Resendiz, Texas State University San Marcos
Kai Greene, The University of Texas at Austin
Thomas M. Bohman, The University of Texas at Austin
Ronald B. Gillam, Utah State University

Keywords

Language proficiency, dominance, semantics, syntax, age of acquisition, language ability

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to determine if different language measures resulted in the same classifications of language dominance and proficiency for a group of bilingual pre-kindergarteners and kindergarteners. Data were analyzed for 1029 Spanish–English bilingual pre-kindergarteners who spanned the full range of bilingual language proficiency. Parent questionnaires were used to quantify age of first exposure and current language use. Scores from a short test of semantic and morphosyntactic development in Spanish and English were used to quantify children’s performance. Some children who were in the functionally monolingual range based on interview data demonstrated minimal knowledge of their other languages when tested. Current use accounted for more of the variance in language dominance than did age of first exposure. Results indicate that at different levels of language exposure children differed in their performance on semantic and morphosyntax tasks. These patterns suggest that it may be difficult to compare the results of studies that employ different measures of language dominance and proficiency. Current use is likely to be a useful metric of bilingual development that can be used to build a comprehensive picture of child bilingualism.

Original Publication Citation

Bedore, L.M., Peña, E.D., Summers, C., Boerger, K., Resendiz, M., Greene, K., Bohman, T., & Gillam, R.B. (2012). The measure matters: Language dominance profiles across measures in Spanish/English bilingual prekindergarten students. Bilingualism: 7 Language and Cognition, 15, 616-629. doi: 10.1017/S1366728912000090

BYU ScholarsArchive Citation

Bedore, Lisa M.; Pena, Elizabeth D.; Summers, Connie; Resendiz, Maria D.; Greene, Kai; Bohman, Thomas M.; and Gillam, Ronald B., "The measure matters: Language dominance profiles across measures in Spanish–English bilingual children" (2012). Faculty Publications. 7315.
https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/facpub/7315

Document Type

Peer-Reviewed Article

Publication Date

2012

Publisher

Cambridge University Press

Language

English

College

David O. McKay School of Education

Department

Communication Disorders

University Standing at Time of Publication

Associate Professor

Copyright Status

Cambridge University Press

Copyright Use Information

https://lib.byu.edu/about/copyright/