Product Description

Bilingualism in Development is an examination of the language and cognitive development of bilingual children focusing primarily on the preschool years. It begins by defining the territory for what is included in bilingualism and how language proficiency can be conceptualized. Using these constraints, the discussion proceeds to review the research relevant to various aspects of children’s development and assesses the role that bilingualism has in each. The areas covered include language acquisition, metalinguistic ability, literacy skill, and problem-solving ability. In each case, the performance of bilingual children is compared to that of similar monolinguals, and differences are interpreted in terms of a theoretical framework for cognitive development and processing. The studies show that bilingualism significantly accelerates children’s ability to selectively attend to relevant information and inhibit attention to misleading information or competing responses. This conclusion is used as the basis for examining a set of related issues regarding the education and social circumstances of bilingual children.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #86483 in Books
• Published on: 2001-04-16
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 300 pages

Review
‘One of the main strengths of this book is the author’s very thorough approach to surveying research in these areas … A second substantial strength of this book is the clarity and confidence with which it is written. The author handles a potentially bewildering range of material assertively and guides the reader through challenging areas without patronizing or assuming too much prior knowledge.’ Child Language Teaching and Therapy

‘… a thorough and readable account of aspects of cognitive and linguistic development in bilingualism …’. Child Language Teaching and Therapy

‘Ellen Bialystok writes in an accessible way, clearly presenting evidence from research and theories.‘ Debate

Customer Reviews

Excellent literature review for academics.
Bialystok describes and critically reviews the research evidence in this complex and controversial area: how bilingualism affects children's development. Divergent theories and constructs are exposed and interpreted with scientific precision and clarity, particularly in relation to language acquistion, literacy skills and problem solving abilities in preschool children. An excellent resource for researchers and academics working in the area but psychological terminology and an academic tone make the text less accesible to parents of bilingual children or lay people interested in bilingulism.