Teaching by Listening: The Importance of Adult-Child Conversations to Language Development

Access: Institutional Access

Publication year

2009

study description

Longitudinal, cross-sectional study

core topic(s)

Early Relational Health

Population Characteristics

Infant/Newborn , Toddler/Preschool

Exposures, Outcomes, Other

Home Language/Literacy/Learning Environment , Language and Literacy Development , Parent-Child Relationships/Interactions , Technology and Digital/Screen-Based Media

metric(s)

Preschool Language Scale (PLS)
Language Environment Analysis (LENA)

objectives

To test the independent association of adult language input, television viewing, and adult-child conversations on language acquisition among infants and toddlers.

exposure

Language input, conversational turns, and television viewing

outcomes evaluated

Infant/toddler language acquisition

setting

Parents of children aged 2 to 48 months were invited to participate through advertising in local newspapers and direct-mail solicitation (English-speaking families only).

methods

Two hundred seventy-five families of children aged 2 to 48 months who were representative of the US census were enrolled in a cross-sectional study of the home language environment and child language development (phase 1). Of these, a representative sample of 71 families continued for a longitudinal assessment over 18 months (phase 2). In the cross-sectional sample, language development scores were regressed on adult word count, television viewing, and adult child conversations, controlling for socioeconomic attributes. In the longitudinal sample, phase 2 language development scores were regressed on phase 1 language development, as well as phase 1 adult word count, television viewing, and adult-child conversations, controlling for socioeconomic attributes.

sample size

n=71 (families)

measures

Measure of Childhood Language Development: Preschool Language Scale, Fourth Edition (PLS-4) assesses gesture, social communication, language structure, social communication, phonological awareness, attention.

 

Measure of Language Environment: Language Environment Analysis System (LENA) assesses adult word count, television viewing, adult-child conversations.

results

In fully adjusted regressions, the effects of adult word count were significant when included alone but were partially mediated by adult child conversations. Television viewing when included alone was significant and negative but was fully mediated by the inclusion of adult-child conversations. Adult-child conversations were significant when included alone and retained both significance and magnitude when adult word count and television exposure were included.

conclusions

Television exposure is not independently associated with child language development when adult-child conversations are controlled. Adult-child conversations are robustly associated with healthy language development. Parents should be encouraged not merely to provide language input to their children through reading or storytelling, but also to engage their children in two-sided conversations.

limitations

Not discussed