Quantity and quality of bilingual input: The measure matters.

Akker, van den, Marieke

Quantity and quality of bilingual input: The measure matters.

Authors

Akker, van den, Marieke

Issue Date

2023-08-30

Language

en

URI

https://theses.ubn.ru.nl/handle/123456789/15909

Abstract

Input quantity and quality have been shown to play a crucial role in the language development of bilingual children. The measures used to quantify and qualify language input greatly differ across studies. This thesis investigated a) which of five measures of input quantity best predicted vocabulary and grammar scores in both the societal language (SL) and the home language (HL), b) the internal reliability of a composite richness score, and c) which of five quality-oriented measures best predicted vocabular and grammar in each language. Regarding input quantity, results suggest that cumulative amount of SL input at home is the best predictor of tasks in the SL, and cumulative or current amount of SL output is best when children’s skill in the HL are considered. The best quality-oriented measure was often the composite richness score but also variety in speakers played a role. Internal reliability of the composite richness score was low. The findings indicate that appropriate measures differ between language domains and between languages, and should therefore be chosen thoughtfully.