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Category: Project

Description: Through an intervention programme accompanied by parent coaching sessions and the creation of a supportive network, the current project aims at optimising language learning environments in multi-ethnic, multilingual, and low socio-economic status (SES) families in Stovner, Oslo. Consequently, infants’ language development and language competences will be improved, which will contribute to equal educational opportunities, academic success and the creation of a stable foundation to facilitate learning new languages, including Norwegian. Parents were randomly assigned to either the intervention or the active control group. While the former followed parent-coaching sessions on language development in infants, the active control group attended the same amount of parent-coaching sessions but with a focus on other aspects of child development, excluding language. Two individual (20-30mins) and two group (30-40mins) meetings were organised for mothers and their children from the intervention group at the Stovner district’s open kindergarten. The control group attended two group (30-40mins) meetings but no individual meetings. Information was provided by a specialist during the individual meetings, while the group meetings applied aspects that were discussed in the sessions. The intervention group met individually when infants were 4 and 8 months of age, and in groups at 6 and 10 months of age, with a focus on parental input, infant language development, and the role of parental speech. During group sessions, ‘Baby and Song’ and ‘Baby and Books’ were discussed. The control group had no individual meetings. Its group meetings took place at 4 and 8 months of age, covering infant motor development and related topics, along with ‘Baby and Crying’ and ‘Baby and Sensory/Fine Motor Skills’. The Early Parenting Attitudes and Beliefs Questionnaire (EPAQ; Hembacher & Frank, 2020), adapted to Norwegian (Allegretta et al., in press), were used to assess parents’ attitudes and beliefs at the start of the intervention, when infants were 2 months of age, and again at 12 months of age. Moreover, parent’s linguistic input and parent-child interactions were captured by audio recording mothers while they naturally engaged with their child during a 10-20 minutes free-play session at the Stovner district’s open kindergarten at 8 and 12 months. The study’s 5 goals are the following: 1.EPAQ The study investigates how the intervention programme influences parents’ attitudes about and beliefs towards parenting, children’s language development and their role in their child’s language development via the EPAQ. Moreover, it will be assessed whether there are any changes that can be observed, and if so, whether they differ between the two groups. In addition to the 24 EPAQ statements, the questionnaire integrated the following 4 statements that focused on parents’ attitudes and beliefs about IDS: ‘I talk to babies and young children in the same way I talk to adults.’ (EPAQ 25) ‘I automatically use ‘baby language’ (for example words like “peep-peep” or “woof-woof”) when talking to a young child.’ (EPAQ 26) ‘When talking to a young child I often use a different voice with a more lively tone.’ (EPAQ 27) ‘When talking to a young child I often speak more slowly and clearly.’ (EPAQ 28) 2.Quantity of input The study will assess whether there is a change in the quantity of parental linguistic input in terms of the amount of language input received by the child per free-play recording session. 3.Quality of input Similarly, the quality of input, namely pitch and pitch range (difference between the highest and the lowest pitch values in a phrase), will be examined. 4.Turn-taking Moreover, by segmenting phrases out of audio recordings through automatic procedures that detect pauses in continuous speech, the study will examine parent-child interactions with regards to the number of conversation turn-taking interactions between parent and child. 5.Relationship between changes in EPAQ and input Additionally, it will be investigated whether a change in quantity and quality of parental input and parent-child interactions can be related to a change in language attitudes (e.g., to examine if EPAQ explains the effect of pitch).