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The second-language vocabulary trajectories of Turkish immigrant children in Norway from ages five to ten: the role of preschool talk exposure, maternal education, and co-ethnic concentration in the neighborhood*

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  26 February 2013

VESLEMØY RYDLAND ,
VIBEKE GRØVER  and
JOSHUA LAWRENCE
VESLEMØY RYDLAND
Affiliation:
University of Oslo, Norway
VIBEKE GRØVER
Affiliation:
University of Oslo, Norway
JOSHUA LAWRENCE
Affiliation:
University of California, Irvine, USA
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Abstract

Little research has explored how preschools can support children's second-language (L2) vocabulary development. This study keenly followed the progress of twemty-six Turkish immigrant children growing up in Norway from preschool (age five) to fifth grade (age ten). Four different measures of preschool talk exposure (amount and diversity of teacher-led group talk and amount and diversity of peer talk), as well as the demographic variables of maternal education and co-ethnic concentration in the neighborhood, were employed to predict the children's L2 vocabulary trajectories. The results of growth analyses revealed that maternal education was the only variable predicting children's vocabulary growth during the elementary years. However, teacher-led talk, peer talk, and neighborhood predicted children's L2 vocabulary skills at age five, and these differences were maintained up to age ten. This study underscores the importance of both preschool talk exposure (teacher-led talk and peer talk) and demographic factors on L2 learners' vocabulary development.

Type
Articles
Information
Journal of Child Language , Volume 41 , Issue 2 , March 2014 , pp. 352 - 381
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2013 

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Footnotes

[*]

Address for correspondence: Veslemøy Rydland, Department of Education, University of Oslo, PO Box 1092, Blindern, 0317 Oslo. tel: + 47 92 08 34 92; e-mail: [email protected]

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