The Effects of Age, Dosage, and Poverty on Second Language Learning through SparkLingTM in Infant Education Centers in Madrid, Spain

The first 1000 days represent a unique window of opportunity for second language learning. In two recent studies we demonstrated that Spanish infants’ use of second-language (L2) English productive vocabulary and early utterances rapidly increased through the play-based, interactive and highly socia...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:International journal of environmental research and public health 2021-12, Vol.18 (23), p.12758
Main Authors: Ferjan Ramírez, Naja, Sheth, Kaveri K., Kuhl, Patricia K.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Age
Age factors
Babies
Bilingual education
Bilingualism
Children & youth
Core curriculum
Curricula
Dosage
Education
English language
Infants
Language
Poverty
Schools
Second language learning
Socioeconomics
Teachers
Tutoring
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Summary:The first 1000 days represent a unique window of opportunity for second language learning. In two recent studies we demonstrated that Spanish infants’ use of second-language (L2) English productive vocabulary and early utterances rapidly increased through the play-based, interactive and highly social SparkLingTM Intervention, which consists of an evidence-based method and curriculum stemming from decades of research on infant language development. Analyzing an expanded and more diverse sample of Spanish infants (n = 414; age 9–33 months) who received the SparkLingTM Intervention, this study examines the variability in L2 production, which was assessed via first-person LENA audio recordings. Infants’ age significantly and positively correlated with L2 production, demonstrating an advantage for older infants in the sample. While overall socioeconomic status (SES) was not related to L2 production, very young infants (under two years) who lived in high poverty homes showed faster increases in English production compared to peers who lived in moderate poverty homes. Infants’ attendance in the program (“dosage”) was also predictive of their L2 production outcomes. Infants across SES have the capacity to begin acquiring two languages in early education classrooms with SparkLingTM through one-hour/day sessions in social environments that engages them through frequent high-quality language input.
ISSN:1660-4601
1661-7827
1660-4601
DOI:10.3390/ijerph182312758