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ABSTRACT
As the number of dual language learners (DLLs) increases globally, it is critical that well-developed questionnaires are available to researchers and educators that capture the characteristics and language experiences of preschool DLLs and their families. To fill this need, the Center for Early Care and Education Research-Dual Language Learners (CECER-DLL) Child and Family Questionnaire was developed. This article describes the four-step iterative process that was used to create the questionnaire, with a particular focus on the cognitive interviews that were conducted to establish the validity of the items. Findings from the cognitive interviewing process are presented which demonstrate the importance of this step when creating questionnaires that are valid for diverse populations. The development process of the CECER-DLL Child and Family Questionnaire, which is now available to the field, serves as an example of how to create well-designed questionnaires for other populations of DLLs in the United States and beyond.
Acknowledgements
The authors would like to thank a number of individuals for their assistance with the development of the CECER-DLL Child and Family Questionnaire. These include members of the CECER-DLL Steering Committee and Leadership Team: Margaret Burchinal, Dina Castro, Wendy DeCourcey, Linda Espinosa, Eugene Garcia, Cristina Gillanders, Ivelisse Martinez-Beck, Ann Rivera, and Sharon Yandian. We also thank Sally Atkins-Burnett and Virginia Buysse for their helpful input and feedback during the development of the questionnaire. In addition, we thank the numerous individuals who shared their questionnaires with us: Sandra Barrueco, Ellen Bialystok, Fred Genesee, Claude Goldenberg, Vera Gutierrez-Clellen, Erika Hoff, Nonie Lesaux, Lisa López, Gigliana Melzi, Mariela Páez, Elizabeth Peña, Rebecca Silverman, and Adam Winsler.
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No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).
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Notes on contributors
Carol Scheffner Hammer
Carol Scheffner Hammer, PhD, CCC-SLP, is Vice Dean of Research and Professor of Communication Sciences and Disorders at Teachers College, Columbia University. Her research addresses four interrelated areas that focus on young children's school readiness and academic outcomes. These include: trajectories of children's language and literacy development; environmental and cultural influences on children's development; assessment of children's language abilities; and interventions that promote children's language and literacy development. Dr Hammer has a particular interest in bilingual children and children from diverse socio-cultural backgrounds. Dr. Hammer's work has been continually funded since 2000 by U.S. government funding agencies.
Lauren M. Cycyk
Lauren M. Cycyk, PhD, CCC-SLP, is an Assistant Professor in Communication Disorders and Sciences. Her research focuses on sociocultural and environmental influences on the dual Spanish-English language development of young children from Latino backgrounds as well as caregiver-centered language interventions that promote positive communication and educational outcomes of Latino children from the earliest ages. Lauren is a certified Speech-Language Pathologist who has served bilingual children and families in early intervention settings, elementary schools, hospitals, and private practice in both the United States and Mexico. She has been recognized for her work by the Office of Multicultural Affairs of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association and was selected as an Emerging Scholar by the Bridging the Word Gap National Research Network.
Shelley E. Scarpino
Shelley E. Scarpino, PhD, CCC-SLP, is Associate Professor in the Department of Audiology and Speech Pathology at Bloomsburg University. Her research, which has been funded by the U.S. Department of Education, Institute for Education Sciences, focuses on the development of speech, language and early literacy skills in Spanish-English speaking children. She teaches courses related to normal language development, pre-school and school-age language disorders, articulation and phonological disorders, and cultural and linguistic diversity.
Karen A. Jury
Karen Jury, M.Ed., project coordinator, graduated from Temple University and holds three Pennsylvania teaching licenses: Spanish K-12, ESL Program Specialist K-12, and English 7-12. Later she earned a Master's degree in TESOL from the University of Pennsylvania. She has worked with learners at almost every age and proficiency level in rural, suburban, and urban settings. From 2013-2015 she served in a U.S. Department of State program as an English Language Fellow and Specialist in Bangkok Thailand, teaching in and coordinating a professional communication skills project for government officials. Her professional interests include teacher training, bilingual education, academic writing, and project-based learning.
Brook E. Sawyer
Brook E. Sawyer, PhD, is Associate Professor in the Department of Education and Human Services at Lehigh University. Her research is interdisciplinary and centers on promoting the development of young children, with a predominant focus on language and literacy development. Her research, which has been supported by U.S. federal agencies, aims to support young children who have disabilities, who are culturally and linguistically diverse, and/or live in poverty through better understanding of early childhood educators' and parents' current practices as well as developing interventions to enhance practices. She was formerly a public school teacher and guidance counselor.