With children from immigrant families becoming a growing part of North American classrooms it is important to understand how their cultural and language backgrounds may influence their learning.
The authors had three questions:
- What is the association between bilingualism and patterns of developmental outcomes at kindergarten?
- How do different ethno-cultural language groups differ in their patterns of developmental outcomes at kindergarten?
- How do gender, ethno-cultural background, and bilingualism interact with each other in regard to patterns of developmental outcomes at kindergarten?
The three language groups examined represented the largest immigrant groups in British Columbia:
- Cantonese and Mandarin – East Asia/China
- Punjabi – South Asia/India and Pakistan
- Tagalog – Philippines
Early Development Instrument (EDI) data was collected for kindergarten students in British Columbia over three waves (2004/05 to 2006/07, 2007/08 to 2008/09, and 2009/10 to 2010/11).
The sample was divided into monolingual and bilingual subgroups. The non-English monolingual groups are considered English language learners and receive English language support in school.
- Monolingual English/English only (n = 76,522; 80.1%)
- Monolingual Cantonese (n = 2666; 2.8%)
Bilingual Cantonese (n = 473; .5%)
- Monolingual Mandarin (n = 2053; 2.1%)
Bilingual Mandarin (n = 374; .4%)
- Monolingual Punjabi (n = 4537; 4.7%)
Bilingual Punjabi (n = 741; .8%)
- Monolingual Tagalog (n = 1057; 1.1%)
Bilingual Tagalog (n = 333; .3%)
What did they find?
Research Question 1: What is the association between bilingualism and patterns of developmental outcomes at kindergarten?
Overall, bilingual children did better than English-only-speaking children on the Prosocial Behavior, Respect and Responsibility, Social Competence, and Independence and Adjustment subdomains, all cognitive subdomains, and on the Communication domain.
Research Question 2: How do different ethno-cultural language groups differ in their patterns of developmental outcomes at kindergarten?
The Chinese language children (a combination of Cantonese- and Mandarin-speaking children) had significantly higher scores than the English-only-speaking group on:
Basic Literacy
Advanced Literacy
Interest and Memory
Independence and Adjustment
Motor Skills
Physical Independence
These children were also rated as less anxious and fearful compared to the English-only-speaking group.
The Punjabi-speaking children had significantly higher scores than the English-only-speaking group on:
Independence and Adjustment
Physical Readiness for the School Day
Respect and Responsibility
These children were also rated as less anxious and fearful and less aggressive compared to the English-only-speaking group.
However, compared to the English-only-speaking group, these children had lower scores on the Basic Literacy and Numeracy subdomain.
The Tagalog-speaking children had significantly higher scores than the English-only-speaking group on:
Gross and Fine Motor Skills
Physical Readiness for the School Day
These children were rated as less aggressive than the English-only group.
Children who only spoke a language other than English had significantly lower scores than the English-only-speaking group on Prosocial Behavior and Communication Skills, and significantly better scores on Hyperactive and Inattentive Behavior.
Research Question 3: How do gender, ethno-cultural background, and bilingualism interact with each other in regard to patterns of developmental outcomes at kindergarten?
When the authors looked at gender effects they found girls were rated as doing better on all EDI subdomains except for Anxious and Fearful Behavior, Numeracy, and Physical Readiness for the School Day, in which there was no significant difference.
Several gender-by-language interaction effects were significant. For example, on several EDI emotional maturity and social competence subdomains the gender difference in favour of girls was smallest for Punjabi-speaking children.
When looking at the interaction between gender and bilingualism, the researchers found the gender differences for most subdomains were smaller for bilingual children compared to monolingual children.
Two patterns emerged for the interaction between language background and bilingualism: 1) the difference between monolingual and bilingual children was most pronounced for the Punjabi-speaking children for most EDI subdomains, except Prosocial Behavior, Physical Independence, and Communication subdomains. 2) The Chinese language group held a similar pattern with two exceptions. There was no effect for the Numeracy subdomain, and the Communication Skills subdomain had the largest positive interaction effect.
What does it mean?
Different subgroups of children may bring unique strengths and needs to the classroom, depending on their bilingualism, their social and ethno-cultural background, and their gender.
It may help teachers to use culturally responsive teaching in order to better engage these students and provide a more enriching educational experience. For example, because the Chinese language group showed an academic and independence profile, teachers may want to provide Cantonese- and Mandarin-speaking children with opportunities to display and strengthen these skills by helping other students in class. Helping children build on the strengths of their cultural background could also help improve relationships between teachers and students.
Encouraging parents to maintain their heritage language with children and promoting the benefits of a bilingual home-school environment would be a good strategy as this study helps confirm the wide range of developmental strengths associated with bilingualism.