Thuistaalaanbod: De Invloed op Nederlandse Taalvaardigheid bij Jonge Tweetalige Kinderen

Abstract

Because of increasing globalization, a growing number of children is being raised bilingually. Their language development often lags behind, which makes them vulnerable for developing delays at school. This study investigated whether a relationship exists between home language activities in L1 as well as L2 and language proficiency. The research sample consisted of bilingual Turkish-Dutch (n = 45) and Moroccan-Dutch (n = 35) children aged almost 6 years old (M = 71.10 months). Language proficiency was split up into grammar skills and receptive vocabulary. Data were obtained by interviewing the mothers of the children and by using subtests from Taaltoets Alle Kinderen (TAK) and Toets Tweetaligheid (TT). Four simple regression analyses showed no significant relationships between home language learning activities and two dependent variables, which were grammar skills and receptive vocabulary. Only between home language activities in L2 and grammar skills a significant relationship was found, which however was small. As a result, three out of four hypotheses have been rejected. The results indicated that a higher frequency of home language activity in Dutch did lead to better Dutch grammar skills. However, it did not seem to improve receptive vocabulary. Language input in the native language was not an obstacle for Dutch language development. Although not many significant correlations were found, it is still important to remain attentive to bilingual children and to prevent them from staying behind in school.