Early Bilingual Vocabulary Development Among Low-SES Ethnic Minority Learners in China: The Case of Uyghur and Kazak Children

Guofang Li; Xiaorong Yin; Xuejun (Ryan) Ji

doi:10.1515/CJAL-2022-0301

Article

Early Bilingual Vocabulary Development Among Low-SES Ethnic Minority Learners in China: The Case of Uyghur and Kazak Children

Guofang Li
Dr. Guofang LI (corresponding author) is a Professor and Tier 1 Canada Research Chair in Transnational/Global Perspectives of Language and Literacy Education of Children and Youth in the Department of Language and Literacy Education, University of British Columbia (UBC), Canada. Her program of research focuses on bilingualism and biliteracy development, pre- and in-service teacher education, and current language and educational policy and practice in globalized contexts.
, Xiaorong Yin
Dr. Xiaorong YIN is a professor at College of Foreign Languages, Xinjiang Normal University, Urumqi, China. She is interested in researching ethnic language maintenance and family language policy. She is also a researcher at the Research Center of International Chinese Language Education to Central Asia.
and Xuejun (Ryan) Ji
Xuejun (Ryan) JI is a PhD candidate in Measurement, Evaluation, and Research Methodology at UBC. He obtained his first PhD in Curriculum and Instruction (Language and Literacy) from Texas A&M University, College Station. His research interest includes measurement validity, OSCE assessment, learning analytics, and literacy acquisition and assessment across orthographies.

Published/Copyright: August 21, 2022

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From the journal Chinese Journal of Applied Linguistics Volume 45 Issue 3

Abstract

Vocabulary knowledge is one of the most important aspects of language development. For bilingual students, early vocabulary development often predicts their future bilingual success. This paper examines early bilingual receptive vocabulary knowledge of ethnic minority children (N=135) from two large ethnic language communities (Uyghur and Kazak) in three national-level poverty-stricken counties in Xinjiang, China. The children’s bilingual vocabulary knowledge was assessed using translated versions of the Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test-IV (PPTV-IV) in Putonghua (PTH) and their mother tongue (MT) Uyghur or Kazak. Data were analyzed through four General Linear Models (GLM). The analyses showed that both groups scored higher in MT vocabulary knowledge than that in their PTH, although the Kazak students’ MT vocabulary scores were lower than those of the Uyghurs. While gender, age, L1, or residence location were not significant factors in differences across the two groups in PTH, among the Kazak children, the main effect of age was significant in MT; and among Uyghur children, residence location had a significant effect. The two groups also differed in patterns of acquisition in different parts of speech (nouns, verbs, and attributes) with Uyghur children performing strongest in MT and PTH verbs. The findings have important implications for ensuring the quality of early bilingual education among impoverished Chinese minority communities.

Keywords: early bilingualism; receptive vocabulary; ethnic minorities; preschoolers; Uyghur; Kazak

About the authors

Dr. Guofang Li

Dr. Guofang LI (corresponding author) is a Professor and Tier 1 Canada Research Chair in Transnational/Global Perspectives of Language and Literacy Education of Children and Youth in the Department of Language and Literacy Education, University of British Columbia (UBC), Canada. Her program of research focuses on bilingualism and biliteracy development, pre- and in-service teacher education, and current language and educational policy and practice in globalized contexts.

Dr. Xiaorong Yin

Dr. Xiaorong YIN is a professor at College of Foreign Languages, Xinjiang Normal University, Urumqi, China. She is interested in researching ethnic language maintenance and family language policy. She is also a researcher at the Research Center of International Chinese Language Education to Central Asia.

Xuejun (Ryan) Ji

Xuejun (Ryan) JI is a PhD candidate in Measurement, Evaluation, and Research Methodology at UBC. He obtained his first PhD in Curriculum and Instruction (Language and Literacy) from Texas A&M University, College Station. His research interest includes measurement validity, OSCE assessment, learning analytics, and literacy acquisition and assessment across orthographies.

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Acknowledgments

This work was supported by The National Social Fund of China under the grant number[18BYY083] and Think Tank Project of the Education Department of Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region under the grant number [ZK202225A].

Published Online: 2022-08-21

Published in Print: 2022-08-26

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Articles in the same Issue

https://doi.org/10.1515/CJAL-2022-0301

Keywords for this article

early bilingualism; receptive vocabulary; ethnic minorities; preschoolers; Uyghur; Kazak