Vocabulary-learning cues used on children’s bilingual programming

ABSTRACT

This study is a content analysis of bilingual children’s television through the lens of bilingual language learning. In this study, we examined the content of five popular children’s television shows (Dora the Explorer, Go, Diego, Go!, Maya & Miguel, Handy Manny, and Nina’s World), and their use of languages (noun tokens, phrases, translations), and vocabulary-learning cues to support vocabulary in preschoolers. Our findings indicate that there are a variety of instructional strategies used by the programs. However, some TV programs (Dora the Explorer and Go, Diego, Go!) tend to use both explicit and implicit learning cues more than other programs. Although research is needed to determine whether certain shows lead to more learning than others, our results suggest the aforementioned programs provide more vocabulary-learning cues than others.

KEYWORDS:

• Television
• bilingual
• vocabulary
• dual-language learners
• learning cues

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Jean F. Rivera Pérez

Jean F. Rivera-Pérez, PhD, is an Assistant Professor of Communication Sciences and Disorders at Texas Christian University. His academic interest and areas of expertise include the use of technology to promote vocabulary in bilingual (Spanish/English) preschool children with and without language disorder. Other areas of expertise include bilingual development, biliteracy, vocabulary intervention/instruction, multicultural issues, and assessment and treatment of bilingual (Spanish/English) preschool children.

Rachel Hart

Rachel Hart is a Master of Speech-Language Pathology student at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She is pursuing an interest in childhood hearing loss through a US. Department of Education training grant designed to prepare audiology and speech-language pathology students to serve children with high-intensity needs, including hearing loss and developmental disabilities. Rachel completed a Bachelor of Science in Speech-Language Pathology from Texas Christian University.

Emily Lund

Emily Lund, PhD, CCC-SLP is an Associate Professor in the Davies School of Communication Sciences and Disorders at Texas Christian University. Dr. Lund’s research investigates how oral language use contributes to language learning in monolingual and bilingual children with hearing loss. Her work has been funded by the National Institutes of Health (National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders) and the American Speech Language Hearing Foundation.