”The Second-Language Vocabulary Trajectories of Turkish Immigrant Children in Norway from Ages Five to Ten: the Role of Preschool Talk exposure, maternal Education, and co-ethnic concentration in the neighborhood”.

This study examines the vocabulary of Turkish immigrant children from preschool (5-year-olds) to the fifth year of primary school (10-year-olds). The study examines the impact of exposure to Norwegian language interactions at preschool ("barnehage"). The language interactions focus on quantity and diversity in interviews run by preschool teachers as well as on conversations in Norwegian between children of the same age (i.e. their second language). Moreover, the study examines the correlation between the mother's level of education and the concentration of immigrants with the same ethnicity in the housing area in connection with language acquisition.

The results show that the children's Norwegian vocabulary at the age of 5 has a clear correlation with how much they were exposed to Norwegian during circle time and free play. The study also shows a correlation between the concentration of Turkish immigrants in the housing area and vocabulary, such that a relatively higher Turkish concentration correlated with poorer Norwegian vocabulary. The mother's level of education had no independent significance for vocabulary at the age of 5.

The growth rate regarding vocabulary showed a strong correlation between the mother's level of education and the increase in vocabulary from the age of 5 to 10, such that the growth rate was higher, if the mother had a higher level of education. On the other hand, the degree of conversation at the age of 5 is not important for the growth rate. Moreover, the results show that there is no statistical certainty that the father’s level of education and the number of siblings are related to vocabulary at the age of 5 or to the increase in the vocabulary.

The study examines children who are mainly exposed to their first language (Turkish) at home and their second language (Norwegian) at preschool. A total of 26 children (15 boys and 11 girls) who grew up in Turkish immigrant families in Norway were recruited from 20 different preschools. The parents of the recruited children were born in Turkey, and the children were born in Norway. Nine of the recruited children lived in an area which was characterised by a relatively high concentration of Turkish immigrants. The remaining 17 children came from areas with many immigrants, but with relatively fewer residents with a Turkish background. When recruiting the participants, the researchers contacted the municipal preschools in the areas and asked them to hand out information about the study to the parents.

The researchers visited all the children at their preschools during their last year of preschool. The children were recorded on film during 20 circle time sessions run by preschool teachers and during 25 periods of free play. The children's interactions with peers were recorded during free play, in which the children played with peers chosen by the children themselves. The playgroups consisted of two to six children with an average 3.5 children in each group. The recordings were then transcribed and coded quantitatively with regard to both quantity and diversity of the language interactions. The children's Norwegian vocabulary was assessed using the Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test – III at the ages of 5, 6, 7 and 10 years.

Data was analysed statistically using growth analysis. The growth analysis examines the statistical correlation between the increase in vocabulary (from 5-10 years) and the explanatory variables: conversation (quantity and diversity) as well as the mother's level of education and the concentration of Turkish immigrants in the area.

Rydland, V., Grøver, V. & Lawrence, J. (2014). ”The Second-Language Vocabulary Trajectories of Turkish Immigrant Children in Norway from Ages Five to Ten: the Role of Preschool Talk exposure, maternal Education, and co-ethnic concentration in the neighborhood”. Journal of Child Language, 41(2), 352-381.