Page 12 - ELG1801 Jan Issue 453

RESEARCH NEWS .

By Claudia Civinini
Bilingualism could help protect
children’s brain development from
the negative effects of growing
up in poverty, researchers at the
University of Oregon said.
‘We know that [children
from lower socio-economic
backgrounds] are at risk of not
developing cognitive abilities
that are important for academic
success at the same pace as higher
socio-economic background peers,’
leading author Jimena Santillan
told the Gazette. ‘I was interested
to study whether bilingualism could
be a protective factor for children
growing up in these conditions’.
Researchers say that children
growing up in poor families are
at risk of their executive function
being underdeveloped by the time
they reach pre-school – and are
more likely to find it hard to listen
or behave appropriately in class.
Santillan’s study found that
pupils who were or were becoming Inhibitory control was
bilingual showed a faster growth checked with a ‘pencil-tapping test’
in their ability to regulate their
behaviour than their monolingual
This ability – known as inhibitory Can bilingualism combat the
counterparts.
control – is the skill of suppressing
an instinctive response and cognitive effects of poverty?
selecting a more appropriate one –
for example, focusing on a lesson
instead of chatting with classmates. Pre-school bilinguals are better at regulating behaviour,
This is important for academic
success, but social development despite poor backgrounds
too, explained Santillan.
Other studies have found when the examiner tapped twice, exceeded that of monolinguals to corroborate that the bilingual
similar results, but this is the and vice versa. Success in this task and was comparable to that of advantage is a real thing,’ she said.
first longitudinal study involving depends on the ability to suppress their bilingual peers. Bilinguals ‘But provided that more research
children from a lower socio- the instinct to imitate the examiner outperformed both monolingual does support our findings, the
economic background, the while at the same time keeping in and transition groups. According existence of a bilingual advantage
researchers say. mind the rules of the task. to the authors, this signals that the – particular in children from lower
The research analysed data Results were compared across length of the bilingual experience is socio economic background – could
from 1146 pre-schoolers from three groups: English monolinguals, a driving factor in the differences in have implications.’
either English or Spanish-speaking English-Spanish bilinguals, and IC development. The study is part Santillan said that for example
backgrounds. Their development of Spanish monolinguals learning of the ongoing research into the families could be encouraged to raise
inhibitory control was tested three English – this last group was tested bilingual advantage hypothesis. This children as bilinguals. ‘We are doing
times over 18 months during the in Spanish in the first two tests. is the idea that bilinguals, having to the study in the context of the US,
transition period from preschool to Controlling for a range of continually juggle between their where there are a lot of immigrant
kindergarten. variables, including socio-economic languages – selecting the relevant families who tend to dismiss their
The data was drawn from the status, age and language proficiency, language and suppressing the other own language in favour of English –
longitudinal Family and Child the study found that children in the one – reap cognitive benefits that we could encourage families to keep
Experiences Survey 2009, which bilingual and ‘transition’ groups go beyond the language domain. their own language and to raise
focused on children participating in showed a faster development of This could have important children as bilingual,’ she explained.
the Head Start programme, a pre- inhibitory control than those in the implications for policy makers and If further research supports these
school preparatory programme for monolingual group. educationalists, but more research findings, bilingual education
disadvantaged families in the US. Children in the transition is needed, said Santillan. could almost be considered ‘an
Inhibitory control was checked group showed lower inhibitory ‘The research is inconsistent intervention to foster this protective
with a ‘pencil-tapping test’. Children control performance in the first on bilingual advantage. A lot of factor for cognitive development’,
were asked to tap the pencil once test, but their rate of development research is still needed to be able Santillan added.

12 December / January 2018