How Preschoolers Learn Language

(Ivanhoe Newswire) – Everyone knows older kids pick up certain language from their peers. Now researchers find the same is true for preschoolers.

In a study conducted among more than 1,800 children in 450 classrooms across the country, investigators from the University of Virginia and Ohio State University found kids learned to both speak and understand words faster when their classmates had better language skills. The effect was especially strong for kids who came into school with better language skills to begin with.

Being in a well managed classroom also had a positive effect.

“Classmates are an important resource for all children, especially for children who begin preschool with higher language skills,” study author Andrew J. Mashburn, a senior research scientist at the University of Virginia, was quoted as saying. “This is likely because these children are better able to capitalize on their peers’ skills for learning language.”

The findings linking better language skills to better behaved classrooms is important as well because it provides a concrete way teachers can influence language outcomes for their students.

“These results also indicate that teachers can promote children’s language development by effectively managing children’s behavior, which creates an environment in which children feel comfortable to converse with and learn language from one another,” notes Mashburn.

SOURCE: Child Development, published online May 15, 2009

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