Dual Language Abilities and Socioemotional Development for Spanish-English Dual Language Learners in Head Start

• In Event: AERA Roundtable Session Saturday 1:45 pm - Gold 1
  In Roundtable Session: Language, Multilingualism, and Linguistic Equity

Abstract

The current study explored whether the associations between language and socioemotional development differ across various facets of language and socioemotional outcomes, as well as across children with and without basic English proficiency. Cross-lagged panel analysis was specified on a nationally representative sample of 471 Hispanic Spanish-English dual language learners (mean age = 41 months old; 49% girls) in US Head Start programs, who were followed for two years. Results supported unidirectional effects of Spanish receptive vocabulary and conceptual expressive vocabulary on socioemotional development for the full sample and Emergent Bilinguals, and a bidirectional association between Spanish receptive vocabulary and socioemotional outcomes for Bilinguals. Our findings suggest the significant role of DLLs’ heritage language (Spanish) in their socioemotional development.

Authors

• Ye Shen, Johns Hopkins University

• Rui Wang, Mathematica