Browsing by Author "Hutchison, Lindsey A."
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Item Home and Preschool Literacy Environments of Children from Low-Income, Linguistically Diverse Families: Relations with Early Literacy Outcomes(2009-02-04T20:57:50Z) Hutchison, Lindsey A.; Hutchison, Lindsey A.The current study examined relationships between the home literacy environment (HLE), classroom literacy environment (CLE), and emergent literacy skills for young children from low socioeconomic, linguistically diverse backgrounds (N = 1043). Parents and teachers completed surveys, and specialists administered language assessments to children. Language groups included “English, “Spanish,” “English and Spanish,” and “English and Other.” Results indicated that, within the HLE, reading frequency was lower for the “English and Other” group, however recitation of poems was higher for this group. Availability of literacy materials and reading frequency were positively related to children’s book knowledge. This pattern held for children 3 years and older, but not for those under 3. For those 3 years and up, reading frequency was positively related to auditory comprehension. For those under 3, number of literacy materials was positively related to language skills. For native English-speakers, reading frequency and expressivecommunication were negatively related, while they were positively related for Spanish speakers. For English and Spanish speakers, number of literacy materials was positively related to auditory comprehension and book knowledge. Within the classroom, whole and small group reading were occurring less often than desired. CLE quality was negatively related to expressive communication, while it was positively related to book knowledge. Cluster analyses revealed that classrooms clustered into two groups, and children 3 years and older in the higher-quality cluster scored higher on language naming, auditory comprehension, expressive communication, book knowledge, and book interest than those in the lower-quality cluster. Though child gender and the HLE accounted for significant variance in early literacy skills, the CLE only had an effect beyond this for expressive communication skills. It also did not moderate the effects of the HLE. Future research should focus on the gap between the HLE and CLE, especially for children from low-income, linguistically diverse families.Item Relations between Executive Functioning, Second Language Fluency, and Externalizing Behavior Problems in Early Childhood(2012-10-08) Hutchison, Lindsey A.; Hutchison, Lindsey A.; Winsler, Adam J.The current study explores relations between executive functioning (EF), degree of bilingualism, and externalizing behavior problems in a sample (N = 79) of 5- to 7-yearold monolingual (n = 33) and bilingual (n = 46) children. The bilingual group included both children who were fully fluent in two languages (balanced bilinguals; n = 17) and children who were still learning their second language (Dual Language Learners; DLLs; n = 29). The main components of EF included inhibitory control, cognitive flexibility, and planning/problem-solving skills. Parents and children came into the lab for a onetime, two-hour session. Parents completed surveys on children’s language background, EF, and behavior problems while children worked with the researcher in a separate room. EF was measured with a go/no-go task (GNG), the Head-Toes-Knees-Shoulders task (HTKS), the Dimensional Change Card Sort (DCCS), the Simon task, and the Tower of London (TOL). Children’s language proficiency in English and Spanish was measured with direct assessments. Results revealed no language group differences for simple inhibitory control (i.e. tasks that were more response-based in nature; GNG, HTKS), but the “bilingual advantage” was demonstrated for more complex inhibitory control (i.e. task that involved control of attention; Simon) and cognitive flexibility (DCCS). Bilinguals also demonstrated superior planning/problem-solving skills (TOL), an area with little prior research. Contrary to prior research, there was some evidence that DLLs had an advantage over monolinguals in interference control and cognitive flexibility. There was no evidence that EF mediated the relationship between language group and behavior problems. There was some evidence that the relationships between EF and behavior problems were stronger for balanced bilinguals compared to DLLs and monolinguals. Findings have important implications in light of the growing population of Spanish-English balanced bilinguals and DLLs in the U.S.