"Does Talk Exposure in Preschool Predict Second-Language Vocabulary at Age 10? A Longitudinal Study of Turkish Immigrant Children Growing Up in Norway"

Abstract

Little research has explored how preschools can support children’s second-language (L2) vocabulary development. The present study investigated whether the role of teacher-led group talk and peer talk (amount and diversity) in preschool can predict the L2 vocabulary trajectories of children after they leave the preschool environment. We followed 26 Turkish immigrant children growing up in Norway from preschool (age five) to fifth grade (age ten). The results of our growth analyses revealed that both teacher-led group talk and peer talk predicted children’s L2 vocabulary skills at age five. As expected, preschool talk exposure did not affect children’s vocabulary growth during the elementary years. However, initial differences in vocabulary skills associated with preschool talk exposure were maintained up to age ten, even controlling for maternal education and neighborhood of residence. This finding underscores the importance of both preschool teacher-led talk and peer talk for L2 learners’ vocabulary development.

This research work was completed in collaboration with Veslemøy Rydland, Postdoctoral Research Fellow, University of Oslo, and Vibeke Grøver Aukrust, Dean, Faculty of Education, University of Oslo.