Patterns of Early Dual Language Proficiency: Correlates, Changes, and Stability From 2.5 Years Through 4 Years

Research indicates that there are numerous factors related to dual language
proficiency. Furthermore, research suggests that the language skills of bilingual children
are very heterogeneous. In this study, we will focus on four outcomes for those receiving
dual language input. Those four patterns of outcome are as follows: bilingual children can
have high levels of skills in English and Spanish, high skills in English and low skills in
the Spanish or vice versa, or low levels of skills in English and Spanish. The present
study focused on the prevalence of these four patterns and their concurrent correlates
amongst 30 month old (N = 87, 48 females) and 48 month old (N = 74, 40 females)
simultaneous English-Spanish bilinguals with special emphasis on the distinguishing
factors for those with high dual language skills. Overall, for those with high dual scores,
the findings reveal that gender, birth-order, and maternal level of education are predictive of high dual language scores so that members of this group are largely first-born females
of mothers with an average 15.8 years of education. English dominant scores were
predicted by percent English input in the home and birth-order so that children in this
group were mostly later-born children with 65% English input in the home. Spanish
dominant scores were predicted by percent English input in the home and Spanish bookreading
behaviors as children in this group received 23% of their in-home input in
English and were read to for more than one hour per week in Spanish. Low dual scores
were marginally predicted by gender and Spanish book-reading behaviors, children in
this group were mostly male and received less than an in hour of Spanish reading per
week.