UTA's Teacher Induction

What research says and does not say about language in early childhood…

Tomblin, J. B., Records, N. L., Buckwalter, P., Zhang, X., Smith, E., & O'Brien, M. (1997). Prevalence of specific language impairment in kindergarten children. Journal of Speech, Language, and Hearing Research, 40(6), 1245-1260.

The authors carry out a study investigating what percentage of kindergarten-age children have Specific Language Impairment (SLI).  A screening test was carried out on 7,218 children in both rural and urban settings.  Those who failed the screen were tested more carefully for SLI.  Results show that SLI affected 7.4% of children tested and that over 70% of these children had not previously received diagnosis.

Thordardottir, E. (2007). Effective interventions for specific language impairment. Encyclopedia of Language and Literacy Development (pp. 1-9.) London, ON: Canadian Language and Literacy Research Network.

This article focuses on three main topics of discussion:  1) the methods used to remediate language impairment, 2) the efficacy of language intervention methods and 3) treatment of language impairment in bilingual children.  Overall, the author finds that intervention tends to be successful in supporting the development of child language, but that long-term treatment is required.

Tommerdahl, J. (2009). What teachers of students with SEBD need to know about speech and language difficulties. Emotional and Behavioural Difficulties, 14(1), 19-31. doi:10.1080/13632750802655679

In this article, the author provides and introduction to language impairment and its relationship to poor behaviour in the classroom.  A breakdown of the areas of language is provided along with information about how language impairment is recognized.  Practical information for teachers in the classroom is also provided.

Adesope, O. O., Lavin, T., Thompson, T., & Ungerleider, C. (2010). A systematic review and meta-analysis of the cognitive correlates of bilingualism Review of Educational Research, 80(2), 207-245. doi:10.3102/0034654310368803

This article presents a meta-analysis of 63 studies examining the cognitive factors associated with bilingualism.  Overall results show bilingualism to be correlated with increased attentional control, working memory, metalinguistic awareness and symbolic representational skills when compared to monolinguals.


Rolstad, K. (2005). The big picture: A meta-analysis of program effectiveness research on english language learners Educational Policy, 19(4), 572-594. doi:10.1177/0895904805278067

The authors of this paper carry out a meta-analysis of what type of school-based language system is the most effective for children learning English as an additional language.  An analysis of 17 studies leads them to the conclusion that bilingual education is “consistently superior” to all-English programs.