Search Results (92)

Little is known about parents’ attitudes towards their children’s accent and the role they play in transmitting an accent (and attitudes about accents) to their children. Even less is known about how these perceptions and attitudes emerge and are transmitted in multilingual families. We draw on an online survey of parental language attitudes in Australia (n = 267), where 45% of respondents were born overseas, and 61% reported speaking a language other than English. Parents were asked whether they think their children speak with an Australian or another accent; whether they change their accent when they speak to their children, and whether their children’s accents change when they speak to their parents as compared to other people. A total of 14% of parents reported that one or more of their children had an accent that was not Australian, with about half of these children having reportedly hybrid or mixed accents, and the other half no accent at all. Over 11% of parents reported frequently or occasionally changing their accent with their children. Of those parents, several disclosed specific strategies in changing their accents around their children, such as making a conscious effort to sound ‘clear’ or deliberately exposing their children to different accents. A total of 15% of parents reported that their children’s accents frequently or occasionally change when speaking to them. These findings have implications for the complex influences on children’s language and dialect repertoires as they relate to language attitudes, language ecology, and linguistic identity. Full article

In 2024, Estonia launched a major educational reform: kindergartens and schools began a gradual transition to Estonian-medium education, to be completed in preschool and basic education by 2030. In Tartu, the transition began already in 2023. Until now, Estonia has maintained a dual school system—Estonian- and Russian-medium—inherited from the Soviet occupation. This paper examines the attitudes of Russian-speaking parents toward supporting their children’s mother tongue during the transition in Tartu’s bilingual schools and kindergartens. While Estonian legislative and strategic documents emphasise the importance of maintaining the mother tongue of pupils who study in a language different from their family language, institutional support and resources remain limited, placing the responsibility largely on families. The qualitative study is based on 25 in-depth interviews conducted in early 2023 with Russian-speaking parents whose children were attending transition schools and kindergartens in Tartu. The theoretical framework is based on research highlighting the importance of first-language development for additional language learning, academic achievement, and cognitive development. Content analysis reveals divergent parental attitudes. Some emphasise the need to preserve the mother tongue and expect schools to provide support, viewing multilingualism as a resource that strengthens identity and future prospects. Others prioritise rapid transition to Estonian-medium education, considering L1 development in educational settings less important. The findings highlight how legislative appreciation of multilingualism is undermined by the lack of institutional support. Full article

As the number of multilingual children attending early childhood settings continues to grow, there has been an increasing focus on how to support their language learning experiences in early childhood education and care (ECEC) settings. This article proposes an ecobehavioural model for supporting multilingual infants’ language development in ECEC settings, which is inspired by and builds on Vygotsky’s cultural–historical approach, Bronfenbrenner’s ecological theory and Ford et al.’s ecobehavioural model of early language development. By integrating these theoretical approaches, this conceptual article examines different levels of factors that impact the quality and quantity of educators’ language input and interactions with multilingual infants in ECEC rooms. This paper introduces an ecobehavioural model comprising four levels: Level 1 focuses on the quality and quantity of educators’ interactions with multilingual infants; Level 2 on educators’ knowledge and practices of supporting multilingualism in ECEC; Level 3 on the environments and resources of supporting multilingual infants’ learning in ECEC; and Level 4 concerns the policies that inform professional development and interventions to support multilingual infants in ECEC. The new model helps us understand how to support the quantity and quality of educators’ language input and interactions with multilingual infants under the age of two in ECEC in a dynamic and holistic way. It can also be used to describe the current research gaps and identify directions for future research, practices and policy on supporting multilingual young children in ECEC settings. Full article

Early identification of language and literacy disorders (LLDs) in multilingual children remains a challenge in linguistically diverse educational systems shaped by ongoing migration. In many contexts, including Greece and Cyprus, where LLDs have been poorly investigated, teachers lack screening tools that can reliably distinguish typical multilingual development from possible indicators of LLDs. This study presents the development and preliminary piloting of two teacher-report screening questionnaires for multilingual children aged 4–6 and 6–9 years, designed for use in everyday classroom settings to support early identification and referral. A structured multi-stage procedure guided development. First, items were derived from internationally established clinical markers of multilingual LLDs, covering oral language, phonological awareness, communication, literacy, and related cognitive domains. Second, a scoring framework was created to support consistent, referral-oriented interpretation across languages. Third, the questionnaires were reviewed by specialists in linguistics, education, and speech-language therapy. Fourth, pilot testing with teachers evaluated clarity, feasibility, and classroom relevance. Expert and teacher feedback indicated that the questionnaires are practical and support differentiation between multilinual language differences and potential underlying difficulties. Overall, this study introduces two promising cross-linguistic screening tools for educators in multilingual educational settings, currently undergoing psychometric validation. Full article

In a globalised and interconnected world, transnational families must navigate heritage language (HL) practices within dominant majority languages (ML), often with limited institutional support. Focusing on a small and understudied community of Hungarian-speaking transnational families in Israel, this study explores how HL development is maintained and negotiated within the framework of family language policy in a dynamic multilingual environment. Fifteen Hungarian-speaking parents from bilingual Hungarian-Hebrew families participated in semi-structured sociolinguistic interviews conducted in Hungarian. A mixed-methods approach was used to analyze the interview data. Quantitative analysis was used to identify the distribution and relative frequency of language use across families. At the same time, qualitative analyses show how parental ideologies and strategies relate to HL development. The findings show that while HL input remains central in parental speech, children frequently respond using both HL and ML, indicating a dynamic bilingual repertoire and a translanguaging orientation. Overall, HL development is negotiated, maintained through cultural and emotional ties, flexible bilingual practices and dynamic family language policies. Full article

This study investigates Estonian home language (HL) teachers’ perceptions of caregivers’ language beliefs and the factors contributing to low participation in HL classes among Estonian-speaking students in Finland. Data were collected through semi-structured thematic interviews with nine qualified HL teachers, whose extensive experience provided insights into a broad and diverse population of diaspora families, including those with limited motivation for HL learning. Content analysis, guided by Spolsky’s family language policy FLP model and Epstein’s framework of family–school–community involvement, revealed that caregivers typically value HL as a symbolic link to family and cultural heritage but often assume that oral communication at home is sufficient for children’s linguistic development. Teachers reported that caregivers generally support multilingualism yet underestimate the need for structured HL instruction. Low attendance of HL classes was attributed to a combination of family-, child-, and school-related factors: permissive parenting, limited language awareness, identity issues, scheduling conflicts, long school days, fatigue, and constraints within school timetables and institutional structures. A marked discrepancy was identified between teachers’ perceptions of attendance and official statistics, indicating that teachers predominantly interact with families that are already motivated and tend to overestimate the participation activity. The findings highlight the complexity of FLP in diaspora contexts and the importance of strengthening school–family communication and institutional support for HL education. Implications for policy, teacher education, and future research on low-motivation families are discussed. Full article

Background: In multicultural healthcare systems such as the Italian one, migrant children may experience dental care as particularly stressful because linguistic and cultural barriers can limit communication, emotional expression, and understanding of the clinical setting. Aim: Understanding the emotional experience of migrant children during dental visits is essential for improving clinical management in pediatric dentistry and orthodontics within multicultural contexts. Because linguistic barriers often limit verbal communication, this study aimed to explore children’s mental representations, emotional states, and perceptions of the dental environment through drawing and to evaluate the clinical implications for communication and therapeutic collaboration. Methods: This qualitative study was conducted in Italy between 2016 and 2025 and analyzed 50 drawings produced by 50 foreign-born migrant children aged 6–13 years, recruited through an educational cooperative in Piacenza. Most participants originated from developing countries and had limited proficiency in Italian, frequently showing a marked “experience gap” in drawing ability that interfered with normative developmental stages described by Lowenfeld. The analysis focused on spatial organization, line quality, color use, posture, interpersonal distance, and representation of the clinical environment, integrating graphic competence assessment with emotional interpretation. Results: Younger children commonly depicted rigid lines, essential settings, and oversized dental unit lamps, whereas older children increasingly represented threatening or disproportionate instruments, aggressive dentists, and omission of the patient figure. Around age 10, drawings became more detailed and colorful, although symbols of closure, such as locked doors, persisted. In adolescents, representations polarized between rich, coherent scenes and extremely essential drawings dominated by fear, rigidity, minimal environments, and symbols of constraint. The findings suggest that drawing may represent a valuable non-verbal clinical and communicative resource for exploring migrant children’s emotional experience of dental care and for identifying signs of anxiety and vulnerability that may not emerge through verbal interaction alone. Conclusions: These findings support the value of a culturally sensitive dental approach integrating drawing, visual aids, multilingual educational materials, and play-based strategies to reduce communication barriers and improve cooperation in migrant children receiving pediatric dental and orthodontic care. Full article

Multilingual research offers a unique window into the diverse developmental trajectories of language and cognition; yet this research has largely been built on a monolingual framework. Here, we first describe how a monolingual bias has limited theory construction and research on the multilingual experience. We then apply a developmental systems framework to understand the multilingual experience, shifting the field away from a monolingual bias toward centering the lived language experiences of multilingual children. At the center of our framework are the moment-to-moment, multimodal, and dynamic interactions between children, their social partners, and environment. Contributing to interaction dynamics are child and social partner characteristics (cognition, motivation, and experiences), as well as contextual factors (activities, places, and policies) that can shape multilingual exposure. Cultural practices, values, and beliefs, as well as developmental time at the micro level (seconds, hours, days) and the macro level (weeks, months, and years), permeate all levels of the framework. Our proposal reveals important avenues of future research, including (1) understanding the dynamic coordination of multimodal behaviors and languages within interactions, (2) how experiences specific to minoritized communities (e.g., language discrimination) shape interaction dynamics, (3) how the temporal patterns of language experience at the micro level contribute to long-term multilingual exposure, and (4) understanding experiences of different multilingual communities within and across communities. Use of this framework can advance knowledge of the contexts enriching multilingual experiences and reconstruct multilingual development research for the benefit of multilingual learners. Full article

Background/Objectives: Developmental language disorder (DLD) has widespread and persistent consequences for children’s development, extending beyond language. Quality of life (QoL) can also be affected, potentially related to difficulties with cognition (e.g., language ability), behaviour (e.g., social–emotional functioning), and/or environmental factors (e.g., multilingualism). This study set out to characterise changes in the QoL of children with DLD and to identify related factors. Methods: Data were collected at 4 and 9 years from children who had attended early language intervention groups before age 4. Parents completed online questionnaires, including the KINDL for QoL. The KINDL measures QoL on six domains: physical well-being, emotional well-being, self-esteem, family well-being, social well-being, and school functioning. Structural Equation Modelling (SEM) was used to assess the relationship between change in QoL and cognitive, behavioural, and environmental factors. Results: At both time points, the QoL of children with DLD was reduced compared to the normative group on all domains except self-esteem and family. Emotional well-being and self-esteem scores were significantly lower at 9 years compared to 4 years. Peer problems and multilingualism emerged as influential factors regarding changes in QoL over time. Conclusions: The QoL of children with DLD is vulnerable between age 4 and 9. Overall, QoL might deteriorate in this period, specifically emotional well-being. Early peer problems and multilingual status influence the changes observed in different aspects of QoL, although these effects should be interpreted with caution. Full article

This study investigated family language policies (FLP) in the current context of the Macao Special Administrative Region (Macao SAR). It explored family language ideologies, management strategies, and intergenerational practices through questionnaires, semi-structured interviews, and participant observations. The findings indicate that Macao permanent residents’ families take Cantonese Chinese as the primary medium of communication and cultural identity. Simultaneously, Mandarin and English are often valued for their roles in academic and professional advancement. Portuguese exhibits a trend of marginalization, despite remaining one of the official languages of the Macao SAR. As for other dialects, they may be used in family conversations but are not considered important languages. Beyond this hierarchy of language values, the researchers also revealed that the FLP of Macao’s permanent residents’ families tends to be driven by both experience and foresight, enabling family members to engage in effective consultation on language choice and language learning. Regarding language practice, children’s multilingual fluency is significantly better than that of their parents. The dominant family language tendency does not influence the consensus of multilingualism and allows code-mixing to appear in conversations. In this article, FLP in Macao families is found to be shaped by both experiential knowledge and future-oriented practical considerations, while also reflecting parents’ affective concerns and responses to broader structural pressures. All these factors together form a decision-making system. In this system, both emotion and reason play their roles simultaneously. If a hierarchical distinction must be made, the rational recognition of the diverse characteristics of the linguistic environment and the dominant status of the main language will be primary. Full article

This study investigates the family language policies (FLPs) of two North Indian Muslim families residing in Saudi Arabia, focusing on how they navigate multilingualism to balance cultural heritage, religious practices, and sociolinguistic adaptation. Using Spolsky’s FLP framework and a qualitative case study approach, the research examines the dynamic roles of Urdu, Arabic, and English in these households. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with mothers and children to explore language ideologies, practices, and management strategies. The findings reveal that Urdu serves as a cornerstone of cultural identity, while Arabic is pivotal for religious education and social integration. English plays a supplementary role as a tool for academic and professional aspirations. Despite shared goals, the families adopt distinct approaches: one emphasizes heritage preservation and liturgical Arabic, while the other integrates Arabic more comprehensively alongside Urdu. These insights contribute to FLP scholarship by highlighting the intersection of language, faith, and identity in transnational families in non-western context, offering practical implications for educators and policymakers working with multilingual communities. Full article

Generative AI offers transformative potential for scalable, personalized, and dynamic language education, particularly in enhancing oral proficiency among young learners. However, effective deployment remains challenging due to limited resources for some languages, the need for age-appropriate content and tools, and the importance of respecting cultural relevance. In this paper, we introduce LEARN (Language Evaluation via question Answer generation from caRtooNs), a culturally grounded multilingual visual dialogue system designed to support oral proficiency in three of Singapore’s official languages: Mandarin, Bahasa Melayu, and Tamil. English, as the lingua franca, is excluded. LEARN integrates a teacher-facing module for curriculum-aligned visual question-answering task creation and a student-facing module for voice-driven adaptive dialogue, optimized for children’s speech. Unlike existing platforms, LEARN prioritizes cultural relevance and low-resource language support, helping address gaps in heritage language preservation. Pilot studies with students demonstrate significant improvements in engagement and vocabulary acquisition. Designed for classroom as well as home use, LEARN presents a scalable AI-driven language tutoring framework. Full article

This study explores the perspectives of monolingual English-speaking parents whose children are enrolled in elementary (Grades 1–5) French immersion (FI) in New Brunswick, Canada, where FI students learn mathematics in French. Using poetic inquiry within a feminist postmodern framework, we analyzed interview data from three parents to examine how they conceptualize the relationship between language and mathematics, and how these conceptualizations shape the ways they support their children’s mathematics learning. The resulting research poems reveal tensions in participants’ views of mathematics and language. For example, mathematics was at times positioned as detachable from language, although language was simultaneously described as a potential barrier to mathematical success. In turn, parental involvement was characterized by support toward monitoring linguistic markers, relearning pedagogical methods, and rehearsing procedures. By centring parents’ perspectives, this study contributes to research on multilingual mathematics education by illustrating how parental conceptualizations may play a role in shaping mathematics practices across home and school spaces. Methodologically, the study suggests that research poetry has analytic potential for surfacing tensions in parental sense-making that may remain overlooked in more conventional qualitative analyses. This study points to a need for resources and communication practices that support dialogue between schools and families about the relationship between language and mathematics in FI contexts. Full article

This study aimed to identify young school students’ language learning strategies (LLSs) within their diverse socio-linguistic reality. The study was conducted in one elementary school in a peripheral city characterized by a heterogeneous population (Arabs and Jews) and immigrants from various countries who speak multiple languages. The principal of this school opted to introduce young children (Grades 1 and 2) to four languages: Hebrew, as a socially dominant language; Russian and Arabic, as the children’s home languages; and English, as a global language. We used photo elicitation and dialogical conversation to obtain reflections of 11 Arab and Jewish students (Grade 2). Each student was asked to describe the strategies they used to learn a novel language in the classroom and at home. Findings support the appropriateness of Oxford’s taxonomy to young language learners: all LLSs’ categories were reported. This study contributes to our understanding of children’s ability to use LLSs in early primary school. It highlights the leading role of language teachers who seem to mediate by modelling LLSs. Furthermore, it enriches the understanding of how 7–8-year-old learners can use diverse metacognitive LLSs and transfer them across languages. We also found one “child-specific” characteristics of the strategy related to parental involvement. Full article

Background/Objectives: Cluttering in childhood and adolescence is characterised by unstable speech timing, excessive coarticulation, irregular rate and reduced intelligibility, yet the developmental mechanisms underpinning these behaviours remain partially understood. This review synthesises empirical and conceptual evidence to examine cluttering through the lenses of speech motor development, neurocognitive mechanisms, task demands and allied-health practice. Four research questions guided the review, focusing on motor characteristics, developmental and neurocognitive mechanisms, task dependence and clinical implications. Methods: Following the PRISMA guidelines, a comprehensive search across seven databases identified studies examining cluttering in children and adolescents. Screening and full-text review were conducted in Covidence by two reviewers, with disagreements resolved by the first author. Twelve studies met the inclusion criteria. Data were extracted into a structured evidence table, and findings were synthesised. Results: Across studies, cluttering emerged as a developmental motor–cognitive integration disorder. Speech motor systems, linguistic formulation and executive control showed difficulty aligning under real-world communicative demands, leading to timing instability, articulatory blurring and reduced intelligibility. Symptoms were strongly influenced by task complexity, with spontaneous and extended discourse eliciting the most pronounced breakdowns. Conclusions: Cluttering reflects a developmental vulnerability in coordinating speech motor, linguistic and executive processes. Understanding cluttering in this way challenges narrow rate-based definitions and supports more nuanced approaches to assessment and intervention. Significant evidence gaps remain, particularly in longitudinal, mechanistic, multilingual and ecologically valid research. This developmental motor–cognitive framework strengthens the conceptual foundations of cluttering and clarifies its relevance to children’s motor development. Full article