A one-year intervention program to target Hong Kong bilingual children’s oral vocabulary and phonological awareness in English
Principal Investigator
Dr Wong, Kwok Shing Richard
Area of Research Project
Language, Literature and Linguistics
Project Period
From 11/2013 To 10/2016
Objectives
To investigate the performance differences in oral vocabulary and PA between children from disadvantaged families and those of higher SES
To examine the within-group and across-group changes in oral vocabulary and PA over the intervention period
To examine the extent to which the children retain their vocabulary and PA knowledge six months after the cessation of the intervention
Methods Used
240 children from 6 kindergartens (3 higher SES and 3 low SES) have been recruited.
Approximately 120 children are from low-income families, and the remainder from higher-income families.
In each SES group, there will be three conditions: target intervention, non-target intervention, and no intervention.
The intervention will last for 12 months.
The children to be tested 5 times: twice before the start of the intervention, during the intervention, end of intervention and six months after the intervention.
Impact
Measure the initial English oral language differences across SES groups
Evaluate the effectiveness of an intervention program that seeks to reduce the initial language differences across children
Inform the education authority on the types of support that schools serving low-SES children might need.
Output
Wong, K.S., Perry, C. & Siegel, L. The effectiveness of in intervention program that seeks to improve the oral language skills of preschoolers from low income families. Early Childhood Research Quarterly.
Wong, K.S., Perry, C. & Siegel, L. The longitudinal relationship between first and second language development among preschoolers in Hong Kong. Early Childhood Research Quarterly.
Wong, K.S., Perry, C. & Siegel, L. The initial learning differences in children across SES groups. Early Child Development and Care.
