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The effects of overhearing on vocabulary learning in ethnic majority and minority preschool children

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  24 January 2023

Anneleen BODERÉ ,
Eline ZENNER ,
Marieke VANBUEL ,
Noel CLYCQ Open the ORCID record for Noel CLYCQ [Opens in a new window]  and
Kris VAN DEN BRANDEN
Anneleen BODERÉ*
Affiliation:
KU Leuven
Eline ZENNER
Affiliation:
KU Leuven
Marieke VANBUEL*
Affiliation:
University of Gent
Noel CLYCQ
Affiliation:
University of Antwerp
Kris VAN DEN BRANDEN
Affiliation:
KU Leuven
*
*Corresponding authors: Anneleen Boderé, E-mail: anneleen.bodere@odisee.be Marieke Vanbuel, E-mail: marieke.vanbuel@ugent.be
*Corresponding authors: Anneleen Boderé, E-mail: anneleen.bodere@odisee.be Marieke Vanbuel, E-mail: marieke.vanbuel@ugent.be
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Abstract

Research shows that infants and preschoolers can learn novel words equally well through addressed speech as through overhearing two adults. However, most of this research draws from samples of ethnic majority children. The current study compares word learning in preschoolers (M age = 5;6) with an ethnic minority and an ethnic majority background (N = 132). An experimenter of the majority group (representative for most teachers in Flemish education) told a story in three different interaction situations: Addressed Speech, Overhearing Classroom and Overhearing Two Adults. Results show that children of both ethnic groups learn novel words in Addressed Speech and in Overhearing Classroom equally well. However, minority children learned significantly fewer words in Overhearing Two Adults. This study suggests important differences in how ethnic majority and minority children learn through indirect speech in educational (monolingual) settings. In addition, the study scrutinizes the potential role of social identification in overhearing mechanisms.

Keywords

word learningoverhearingdirect and indirect speech
Type
Article
Information
Journal of Child Language , Volume 51 , Issue 2 , March 2024 , pp. 314 - 338
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Copyright
© The Author(s), 2023. Published by Cambridge University Press

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