Comparative vocabulary development in kindergarten classes with a mixed population of monolinguals, simultaneous and successive bilinguals

• Autores: A. Schaerlaekens, I. Zink, L. Verheyden
• Localización: Journal of multilingual and multicultural development, ISSN 0143-4632, Vol. 16, Nº. 6, 1995, págs. 477-495
• Idioma: inglés
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• Resumen

  • This article reports on a language‐evaluation study which was made in Brussels kindergartens. More particularly the vocabulary evolution of originally monolingual Dutch‐speaking children, originally simultaneously bilingual children (Dutch/French) and young successive second‐language learners (French at home, Dutch in kindergarten) was charted. A cross‐sectional, as well as a longitudinal investigation was conducted with three‐, four‐, and five‐year‐olds. A special instrument, which evaluates active and passive vocabulary, sentence comprehension, morphology proficiency and spontaneous speech production, was designed for this study. Especially the vocabulary items are discussed in this article as they are representative for all other test parts. The conclusion highlights the possibilities and problems with regard to looking after these children continuously in Dutch‐speaking primary education. The study also seeks an answer as to the relative possibility or impossibility to instruct these groups of children together.