Poster #49 - Social-Emotional and Vocabulary Skills: A Study of Chinese-English and Spanish-English Dual Language Learners in Preschool

• In Event: Poster Session 02

Abstract

Young children experience rapid growth in their social-emotional and language developmental domains during the preschool years (Halle et al., 2014; Melzi et al., 2017). Dual Language Learners (DLLs), in particular, exhibit vast differences across the development of language and literacy, executive functioning, and social-emotional skills (Hammer et al., 2014; Rea-Sandin et al., 2021). These skills are important because they can predict school readiness and later academic success (Blair & Razza, 2007; Lozano, 2016). Previous studies have demonstrated bidirectional relationships between language skills and self-regulation processes in English monolingual and English-Spanish bilingual children. For example, expressive vocabulary can serve as a leading indicator of compliance and executive control in preschool, whereas early self-regulation skills can play an important role in vocabulary development (Bohlmann et al., 2015). However, there is a dearth of literature examining the relationship between social-emotional skills and early literacy skills among children with diverse home languages including Chinese and Spanish, the two fastest-growing DLL groups in the US (Budiman & Ruiz, 2021).
The current study analyzed 190 DLLs (66 Mexican-American, 124 Chinese-American) ages 3-5 enrolled in Head Start centers in northern California, investigating the relationship between expressive vocabulary in both English and the home language (Chinese and Spanish) using the Picture Vocabulary subtest of the Woodcock-Johnson IV Test of Oral Language (Shrank et al., 2014) and parent-reported child’s social-emotional skills. The Child Behavior Checklist was used to measure the child’s internalizing and externalizing problems (Achenbach & Rescorla, 2000). The Child Behavior Questionnaire was used to measure temperament–inhibitory control, attention focusing, anger/frustration, and shyness (Rothbart et al., 2001). The Child Social Competence questionnaire was used to measure the child’s social skills and popularity (adapted from Harter et al., 1979). Correlation results for the two cultural groups indicated that higher proficiency in the home language is associated with higher inhibitory control abilities. For Mexican-American children, Spanish proficiency was negatively related to shyness. For Chinese-American children, Chinese proficiency was positively associated with children’s ability to focus and negatively associated with externalizing behaviors. For Chinese-American children, English proficiency was also related to social competence. No significant differences were found in expressive vocabulary between Chinese-American and Mexican-American children. Multiple regression analyses revealed that, together with temperament, home language was associated with internalizing and externalizing behaviors, whereas English was associated with the child’s social skills in preschool for both Mexican-American and Chinese-American children. Our preliminary results suggest that promoting home language maintenance among DLLs and their families can be beneficial for the children’s social-emotional adjustment. This study holds implications for the need for school programs that cultivate DLLs’ social-emotional as well as English and home language development.

Authors

• Maria Belen Buttiler, University of California - Davis
  Presenting Author

• Jillian Yick

• Qing Zhou, University of California - Berkeley

• Yuuko Uchikoshi, University of California - Davis