Supporting Child Language Development

Hay & Fielding-Barnsley (2012) believed that there are firm reciprocal connections between children’s language development, logical reasoning and their achievements at school. In order to best promote these relationships, children’s language and speech should be motived, acknowledged and respected in a social positive learning environment.

Children’s academic achievement in literacy, which is multi-dimensional and interactive, depends on two periods of learning (Hay & Fielding-Barnsley, 2012). Cunningham & Stanovich (1997) stated that a first process is the cognitive memory development; children quickly identify the orthographic features of the word then connect this to semantic meaning of the word (Hay  & Fielding-Barnsley, 2012). Second, they get the meaning of the text by motivating and interacting to become independent readers (Bishop & Leonard, 2000) as cited in Hay & Fielding-Barnsley (2012).

A key factor to a successful rate of children’s mastery language and literacy is the quality of environment; surrounding in the home and out of home settings (Hay & Fielding-Barnsley, 2012). Fellows & Oakley (2014, p. 71) highlights that “from the moment of birth, parents and family members influence children’s speech, language acquisition and learning” through daily communicative exchanges. Evidences also show that the higher socioeconomic status children are from, the better children’s language and literacy skills will be improved. For example: children of low-income and low-educated parents lack three times opportunities to communicate and interact with their parents (Hay & Fielding-Barnsley, 2012). In an outside aspect, childcare setting plays significant role on nurturing secure relationship and fostering rich language experience (Fellows & Oakley, 2014). For example: appropriate programs at school and designed interventions such as closing expressive and receptive language gap activities can help children become more fluent in their language and literacy (Hay & Fielding-Barnsley, 2012).

Winne and Nesbit (2009) and Vygotsky (1978), researchers of social learning theory, state that Language and literacy development has seen as an essential part of children’s cognitive development framework (Hay & Fielding-Barnsley, 2012). In addition, Blank (2002) believes that interactive and self-enhancing skills are important to young children’s early language and ability to use reasoning from the social learning circumstance. When children understand the words expressed, they are able to use them in complex settings and their ability is enhanced to reason.

As educators, we support children’s language and reasoning development by providing opportunities for them to make their own dialogue, questioning and talking (Blank, 2002). Any child’s response should be always seen as a learning opportunity to enhance his or her confidence in conservation with others, criticizing or closing off the conversation for wrong responses of a child is not highly recommended (Hay & Fielding-Barnsley, 2012). On the other hand, if children’s responses are not valued and accepted, they remain silent to talk and lack language and literacy development (Hay & Fielding-Barnsley, 2012).

The article shows evidence of the necessary and appropriate preparation for children’s language and cognitive development in early school years. Priority is given for educators and others to understand the strong relationship between children’s language development, cognitive thinking and their school achievement as well as supporting; valuating children’s language development in a positive  environment.

References:

Blank, M, (2002), Classroom discourse: A key to literacy. In K, Butler & E, Silliman (Eds), Speaking, reading and writing in children with learning disabilities: New paradigms in research and practice (pp. 151-173), Malwah, NJ: Erlbaum

Hay, I. & Fielding-Barnsley, R. (2012). Social learning, language and literacy. Australasian Journal of Early Childhood, 37(1), 24 – 29.

Fellows, J., & Oakley, G. (2014) Language, Literacy and early childhood education

(2nd ed.). Melbourne: Oxford University Press.