A CASE STUDY ON THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE FIRST LANGUAGE OF A

TWO-YEAR OLD CHILD

EDL 105: Oral Language Development

Submitted by:

BOA, Maria Eliza P.

MARENTES, Apple Joy

Submitted to:

Professor Crizel Sicat-De Laza

May 17, 2019

 CHAPTER I

INTRODUCTION

Language is a significant factor in the lives of human beings. Since the creation of
Adam, language has already started (Farooq, 2015). Even babies, who have just been born in
the world, use crying as their language to communicate to their parents and the people around
them the message they want to send across.

Farooq cited in his journal The Importance of Language in the Society has enumerated
the significance of language in our lives. He stated that “language is the most effective source
of communication in our life” (2015). It is used to transmit ideas from one person to the other
which is necessary for our own and the societies’ progress. Language eradicates confusion
therefore making the civilization orderly and free from unruliness.

It has been remarked once by Honorable David Kilgour, a member of the Canadian
Parliament for Edmonton-Beaumont that “language is obviously a vital tool. Not only is it a
means of communicating thoughts and ideas, but it forges friendships, cultural ties, and
economic relationships” (1999).

Background of the study

The progress of language has fascinated the attention of many researchers especially
those of the language of children since “oral language is an essential precursor to learning to
read and write” (Flynn, 2013, p.1). This was also expressed in a journal entitled Efficacy of
language intervention in the early years. It articulated that “oral language skills in the preschool
and early school years are critical to educational success” (Fricke, Bowyer-Crane, Haley,
Hulme & Snowling, 2012, p. 280)

Flynn also cited that

Oral language is the tool children use to mean, refer, communicate

intentions, and accomplish social goals. Critically linked to cognition,
language maps “the conceptual structure of the world” (Bruner, 1983) for
children as interactions with people, places, and texts allow for ever
expanding understanding (2013, p. 21).

1
 Considering the importance of the expansion of the oral language of children, a lot of
philosophies were established in the different studies on children’s language development since
they may be used to assist children with problems in oral language.

According to Saxton (2010), “Language development can seem rapid and effortless,
especially when compared with certain milestones in other developmental domains (perceptual,
cognitive and social)” (p. 23). However, since language and its acquisition is complex, and
different factors can affect its improvement, there are children who seem to be left behind in
the stages of language development presented by different scholars.

Because this disparity exists, there are studies that present different aspects that may
help a child improve his language growth. One of these aspects is through reading. According
to Healthlink BC (2017), reading gives a toddler chance to develop new ideas and makes him
familiar with the sounds and “as your newborn becomes a toddler and older, reading opens him
or her to new ideas. It helps your child become more familiar with the sounds and rhythms of
the language” (para.3).

Description of the Learner

With this in mind, the researchers are interested to know if a child will be able to
improve his language acquisition and communication skill if an intervention (i.e. reading story
books to a child) will be done for two months. They have looked for a particular child who
lags behind the brief outline of language development presented by Harley in his study entitled
The Psychology of Language from Data to Theory (2001).

The researchers chose a two-year old boy as a subject of this study (see Attachment A).
His name is Ariz Rosher P. Boa, male, born on December 7, 2016. He is the third child of a
mother who works as a teacher and a father who is a transport operator.

Based on initial observations and interview with the parents, the learner’s language is
composed of only one-syllable words and the only word comprehensible that he can say is the
word “de”. He repeats this syllable to form the word “dede” to let the people around him know
of his desire to drink milk.

2
 Another way of communicating for him is by pointing at things. He normally just
points at things that he likes or leads the person he’s talking to to the things he he wants to get.
When not understood he gets frustrated and angry.

According to his parents, they have not read any book at him since he was a baby
because he seems not interested and kept on tearing the pages of the book they are reading or
writing on them. They also think that one of the reasons why he hasn’t learned words is because
he was introduced to mobile phone at a very young age.

Bearing in mind the stages of development (see Attachment B) presented by Harley on

his book, the researchers find the learner, Rosh, in the Babbling Stage which is for 6 to 10
months old only.

Statement of the problem

The researchers would like to find out if reading story books to our learner can improve
his language and communication skill and make him at par with the language development
stage for a two-year old presented by Harley. They have the following questions they want
answered by this study:

1. What are the factors that affect the language development of a child?
2. What is the impact of reading a story book to the language development of a child?
3. After two months of reading a story book to a child, would his language development
be according to his age (based on Harvey’s stages of language development)? Explain.

To answer these underlying questions, the researchers propose to conduct a study

entitled “A Case Study on the Development of the First Language of a 2-year-old child” that
seeks better understanding if reading intervention can be done to improve the language
development and communication skill of a child.

3
 CHAPTER II

REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE

The progress of language development of human beings has attracted the attention of
a lot of researchers around the world since language plays a vital role in the progress of
human beings. Philosophies were developed by experts in the different studies of children’s
language development to assist not just parents but so does schools in looking for solutions to
remediate or help children with problems in oral language.

When trying to explain how a child develop his/her language, different researches
have tried to explain this progression by elucidating that children develop their language
through different stages. Harley (2001) shared on his book The Psychology of Language
“how language develops from infancy to adolescence” through different stages (p. 98).
Margaret Alic, PhD (n.d.) also cited that language development is a process to which a child
must go through. According to her, these stages of language development is common for
every child, however, “the age and the pace at which a child reaches each milestone of
language development vary greatly among children.” (para. 2)

Oswalt (n.d.) has also explained on his article the milestones that infants go through at
typical phases of their young lives. However, since not all individuals are alike, not all
children will go through these phases at the same time since different factors can affect the
language development of different children. In connection with this, Oswalt (n.d.) says:

“Babies' and young children's language development is strongly influenced by

the language they hear spoken around them and to them. The more babies are
exposed to language, the more opportunities they'll have to practice their
developing communication skills. This is why it is a good idea to interact with
your child regularly, speaking with and reading to him or her whenever
possible.” (para. 2)

This supposition of Oswalt coincides with the findings of Dickinson, Griffith,

Golinkoff and Hirsh-Pasek (2011) that particular kinds of experiences play a special role in
advancing language growth. They stated that “a humble act of reading a book to a young
child has repeatedly been found to have remarkable power.” (p. 1)

4
 Naremora (1997) stated in her book, Children Learning Language that language
doesn’t involve speaking alone. She affirmed that reading is a by-product of speaking, hence,
“reading is like oral language” (p.204).

Mart (2012) declared that there is a great relationship between reading and speaking
skill. He noted the research of Bright and Mc Gregor stating “when there is little reading,
there is little language learning—a student who wants to learn English will have to read
himself into a knowledge of it.” (p. 91)

With these relationships between reading and oral language, Dickinson, et. al (2012)
itemized how book reading has the power to affect the language development of a child. The
following are the influences of reading in a child’s language development as stated in their
review.

New vocabularies are learned through book reading.

A lot of studies have proven the positive effect of reading to a child by telling
numerous advantages it provides. Different researches posit that reading different books to
children will vastly affect his/her conversational skill since children will be able to hear new
words that could affect his ability to speak to other individuals. The following are some of the
researches experts attained about reading books:

Pankey (2000) asserted in her thesis that when a child often hears words, his/her
language develops. On her study, she found that there is a vast relationship between shared
book reading and the vocabulary development of a child. She said:

“Shared reading facilitates vocabulary development in several ways. During

book reading, mothers use language that is richer and more varied than that
used during eating, playing with toys, or dressing their child” (2000, p. 6)

Mart avowed that familiarity with words and their meanings is important for an
effective communication, and “there is no question that people who develop large reading
vocabularies tend to develop large speaking vocabularies” (2012, p. 91). According to him,
knowledge in vocabulary of children will reflect on the fluency of their speaking skill.

5
 Poventud on her dissertation entitled Developing Social-Emotional Vocabulary
through Storybook Reading stated that the interactions that happen between an adult and a
child during repeated storybook readings helps in the sustenance of the vocabulary
development in children. “Children’s comprehension of what they read, understanding of the
world around them, and communication with others depends largely on the words they know
and are able to use” (p. 14).

This is supported by Rivas on her dissertation entitled Vocabulary Development

through Shared Readings: The Potential Role of Explicit Instruction and Supplemental
Multimedia in the Preschool ELLClassroom. She stated that frequent exposure of children to
reading enhances word learning and vocabulary development. She mentioned that “simply
hearing words read aloud can increase breadth of vocabulary knowledge, but depth is
acquired through explicit questioning and modeled discussion of inferential skills related to
understanding word meaning” (2012, p. 39).

With all of these findings, these has definitely strengthened that reading has certainly
played a vital role in the language development of a child. It provides opportunities for a
child to understand words, to connect words to sentences and to comprehend these sentences
both oral and written. “Without the combination of book, reader, and child, this kind of oral
language learning would not have occurred.” (Crook, 2010, p. 3)

Reading promotes joint attention and interest.

“Joint attention refers to moments when a child and adult are focused on the same
thing, but for most researchers it also includes the notion that the participants are both aware
that the focus of attention is shared” (Akhtar & Gerbsbacher, 2007, para. 4)

Young children have a very short attention span. They easily get distracted by their
surroundings since children are mostly curious about the things that they see around them.
Books for small children has been designed to catch the attention of the young ones. Often,
children’s books are designed with vivid colors and use large fonts with drawings like objects
and animals that appeal to the interest of young children (Dickinson, et.al, 2012).

Reading books to young children, specifically infants and toddlers, helps in teaching
them to control their attention because they learn to focus by concentrating on a task that
interests them. “Book reading also provides recurrent occasions for parents to help their

6
infants and toddlers learn to regulate their attention and responses to stimuli” (Dickinson,
et.al., 2012, p.3). Also, as adults read aloud to children, these children don’t only learn to
acquire words that they hear but they also learn to concentrate based on how their parents
model it to their children. With this, they also get to acquire additional concepts like how
books should be handled and to which direction print is read. (Crook, 2010).

Crooked also specified in her article that “positive associations formed from being
read to can lead to an increasing interest in books”. She also cited the study of Morrow
where he found out that students who are interested with books are read to more often when
they were younger than those with low interest in reading. He also cited that these children
have positive values with regards to reading at home. (Crook, 2010, p. 3).

“As long as children’s linguistic knowledge is limited, adults have to find ways to
make a book interesting in spite of such obstacles” (Bus, 2008, p. 7)

Participants are more active and engaged in responsive interactions.

Providing for the children is the number one role of parents. With this in mind, they
tend to spend most of their time looking for ways to make their children’s lives more
comfortable. With the parents busy schedule, and the distractions child\]’]’sren have, parents
now a days find it hard to engage their children in meaningful conversations.

On the other hand, book reading can help foster more positive relationship between a
parent and a child. “To engage a young reader in the world of the book, it is of the utmost
importance that parents capitalize on intimate knowledge of their child’s personal world; on
familiar and meaningful settings, possessions and sensations; and on the language with which
these are associated” (Bus, A.G., 2008, page 7). With this knowledge, parents can relate to
their children more by engaging them in conversation about personal things that they can
relate to the story read to them.

According to Dickinson, Griffith, Golinkoff & Hirsh-Pasek (2012), “book reading

provides an ideal setting for fostering language while at the same time building strong
affective bonds between parents and children” (p.3)

In addition, Crook (2010) stated that read–aloud sessions allow adults to help give
meaning to print they read by relating this to the child’s “background knowledge, beliefs and
experiences” (p. 3) By doing this, children tend to learn to express themselves more and

7
relate what is around them to the texts that they read. With this, parent tends to focus more
on the child and make efforts to relate to him/her and be more responsive to his/her interests
allowing for the parent and the child to engage in conversation that is not about the story they
have read. “Dialogic reading occurs when adults follow their children’s interest and engage
in conversation about material on the printed page or about experiences the child has had that
relate to the story” (Dickinson, et.al, 2012, p. 6).

When parents read a lot of books to their children, they allow their children to become
skillful readers. When a child becomes an adroit reader, he begins to acquire the necessary
language competencies for him/her to decontextualize language. “Decontextualized language
expands conversation beyond texts (Poventud, 2013, p. 34). Lowry on her article entitled
Paving the way to school success: The role of decontextualized about language stated that…

“decontextualized language develops during children’s third year, and is used

to construct narratives about past or future events, provide explanations, or
engage in pretend play. This differs from the contextualized language
observed in children’s conversations prior to age two, which centres around
objects, people and events that are present in the child’s physical
environment” (2018 p.2).

Poventud stated that the most read aloud experiences allow to give opportunities for
children “to engage with decontextualized language, requiring them to make sense of ideas
that are about something beyond the here and now. Given this, storybook reading activities
are a promising venue for language and vocabulary development” (2013, p. 34).

All in all, the years between birth and three are critical in children’s long-term
language development. By means of this, parents need to capitalize on all the opportunities
they can get to engage their children into reading books for this activity can provide a lot of
benefits to children.

8
 CHAPTER III

METHODOLOGY

General Research Design

The purpose of this study is to investigate the development of a child’s language after
a series of intervention, i.e. storybook reading. The research design used in this study is
qualitative and descriptive design for it wants to find out if reading story books to a child,
who lags behind the brief outline of language development, will improve his language and
communication skill and make him at par with the language development stage for a two-year
old.

To analyze the changes in the child’s language development after the storybook
reading intervention, three Filipino books will be read to the child starting on February 11,
2019 and will last for two months up until April 11, 2019. The titles of the books that will be
read to him are: Pahingi po?, Kita-kita tayo, and Sakay na! (see Attachment C) These books
are meant for children ages 0 to 4.

The researchers will collect data mainly by listing down words uttered by the
participant before he was read to, during the periods he was read to, and after his reading
sessions with his family and other relatives. Observations on his behavior and gestures will
also be logged. Family members will also be asked to answer an open-ended questionnaire to
help see their view on the language development and communication skill of the participant,
analyze the factors that affected his language development, and find out their suggestions as
to how to improve the communication skill of the child being observed. Lastly, the
researchers will interview the family members and some relatives of the child to validate
observations and findings.

Research Instruments

The study shall make use of descriptive approach to record the naturalistic
observations of the child. The following instruments are to be used to help the researchers
gather needed data and information.

9
 1. Anecdotal Sheet

The researchers have designed an anecdotal sheet template to use as means to record
the observations. The anecdotal sheet is used before, during, and after the sessions where the
participant is read to. The parents of the child are asked to list down words/syllables uttered,
gestures and behaviors on a weekly basis.

CASE STUDY: ANECDOTAL SHEET

LIST OF WORDS ROSH SPEAKS BEFORE DURING AND AFTER THE
READING SESSIONS
(WITH OBSERVATIONS)

DATE (PER WEEK) LIST OF WORDS (OBSERVATIONS)

A. Before reading to the child
B. Start of reading out loud session with the child (February 11, 2019)
- February 11 – 17
- February 18 – 24
- February 25 - March 3
- March 4 – 10
- March 11 – 17
- March 18 – 24
- March 25 - 31
- April 1 – 11
C. End of reading to the child (from
April 12 onwards)

2. Questionnaire

Family members and other relatives will also be asked to answer a questionnaire to
gather information on the factors that affected the language acquisition and development of
the participant, their opinion regarding the child’s language development and communication
skill, and their view on how reading can help in the development of the child’s language and
communication skill.

10
 CASE STUDY: QUESTIONNAIRE
(Pre-Observation)
1. In your opinion, does Rosh’s language development match the milestone of the stage of
language development appropriate for his age? Explain your answer. (Sa iyong palagay,
naayon ba ang pagsasalita ni Rosh sa kanyang edad? Ipliwanag ang sagot.)

2. What do you think are the factors that affected the language development of Rosh?
Give three factors. (Anu-ano sa tingin mo ang mga bagay na nakaapekto sa pagsasalita ni
Rosh? Magbigay ng tatlo.)

3. Do you think reading a book will help in Rosh’s language development and
communication skill? Explain your answer. (Sa iyong pananaw, makakatulong ba ang
pagbabasa ng mga kwentong pambata sa kanyang pagsasalita? Ipaliwanag ang sagot.)

Name:

Relation to Rosh:

Age:

3. Interview Questions

After the reading sessions with the child and filling out the anecdotal sheet, the
researchers will interview the father, grandmother, and oldest brother of the learner to
validate the information that has been drawn out from the questionnaire and the observations.

11
 CASE STUDY: INTERVIEW QUESTIONS
Post-observation

1. What were the words Rosh could say before people taking care of him read story books to
him ?

2. How many books were read to Rosh? What are the titles of these books?

3. How often do you read these books to him? Is there a specific time that you follow when
reading these books to him?

4. Do you think his speaking ability has improved after two months of reading story books to
him? Cite instances to solidify this observation.

5. Aside from his speaking ability, what other things have improved from Rosh after reading
these books to him?

Name:

Relation to Rosh: Age:

12
 CHAPTER IV

RESULTS AND DISCUSSIONS

This chapter presents analysis of the data collected from the respondents through the
questionnaire and interview, and the interpretation of the anecdotal sheet presented on the
previous chapter.

I. Questionnaire

The questionnaires were given to the relatives of Rosh to gather necessary data before
the reading sessions to the learner. Seven people were asked to answer the questions
indicated in the questionnaire about the language development of Rosh. These are the people
closest to him which are his father, two brothers, grandmother, aunt, cousin and a distant
relative (see Attachment D).

Based on their answers, 6 out of 7 respondents said that Rosh’s language development
is not appropriate for his age which is 2;2 because most children this age are already talking.
According to his father, Mr. Aniano Boa, his two older brothers were already talking when
they were the same age as Rosh. Rosh’s grandmother, Hermelina S. Paguinto, noted the
same. According to her, her children were all talking when they were 2 years old. But based
on her years of taking care with children, she noted that children’s language development
varies. There are those who speak early and there are those whose speech is delayed.
However, his aunt thinks that his language development is appropriate for his age. She said
that although his speech is not as clear as those of other kids his age, he still speaks with
others and he can be understood.

There are several factors which our respondents think that affected the language
development of Rosh. 5 out of 7 respondents pointed at the fact that he was not talked to
often as the major factors that affected his language development. According to his older
brother, Al Calen P. Boa, he doesn’t have any friends at home hence he doesn’t have any one
to talk to. This is the same with the response of Rosh’s father wherein he indicated that Rosh
doesn’t have any playmate that he can talk to. 4 out of 7 respondents point at his constant
usage of cellphone affected his language development. Rosh’s oldest brother, Andrei Josh P.

13
Boa, also connected the first factor to this one. He said that Rosh wasn’t able to talk to
anyone since he is constantly using his cellphone. Another factor that 3 of the respondents
pointed out is the biological factor. Rosh’s aunt, Mharie Paguinto, thinks that his mouth
muscle may have an effect on his language development and his cousin, Axel Joy Flores,
thinks that his cell for motion/genes may have affected his language development. Both also
noted that children has their own individual development. His distant relative, Vance Flavier,
just indicated that his development is late. 2 of the respondents, Rosh’s older brother and his
grandmother indicated that Rosh wasn’t read to which might affected his language
development. Other factors that the respondents pointed out are: Most often than not, no one
is teaching Rosh and Gender.

When asked if they think reading a story book to Rosh will help in his language
development and communication skill, all of the respondents said yes. According to his
grandmother, by reading a book to him, Rosh will be able to copy the sounds of the words
read to him. Rosh’s older brother also stated that Rosh might learn new words if he was read
to. Rosh’s father and cousin shared the same sentiments with Rosh’s grandmother and older
brother. He said that Rosh will learn how to speak if he hears words often. Rosh’s oldest
brother noted that if reading to Rosh was done repeatedly, he will be able to understand the
vocabulary used in the story. One respondent also said that reading story books to Rosh will
help him know how to pronounce words. Rosh’s aunt said that hearing favorite stories read
aloud helps Rosh become aware of the pattern and rhythm of text. She noted that language is
more than just words.

II. Anecdotal Sheet

The parents of the learner were asked by the researchers to list down words uttered by
the child and some observations they have before, during, and after the reading sessions with
the learner. This was done by Rosh’s parents from January 28, 2019 to May 7, 2019. The
parents of the learner were also asked to video tape the child from time to time so that the
progress of the child is recorded. On the next page is the anecdotal sheet presented by the
learner’s parents.

14
 CASE STUDY: ANECDOTAL SHEET
LIST OF WORDS ROSH SPEAKS BEFORE DURING AND AFTER THE
READING SESSIONS
(WITH OBSERVATIONS)
DATE (PER WEEK) LIST OF WORDS (OBSERVATIONS)
A. Before the reading sessions to the  Babbling only - most of his words are repeated
learner (Jan. 28 – Feb. 10, 2019) one syllable words only (e.g. bababa, yeah, ow,
de, ah, wa, papapa, yayaya) except for yehey
 No sound of K, M, L, N and S were pronounced
 Can only identify and say letters A and E
 Can’t tell any numbers
B. Start of reading out loud session with the child (February 11, 2019)
- February 11 - 17  Pronounces the letter S
 Still babbles but now it is incomprehensible
since he combines syllables (e.g. bambayeye;
dedebaba)
 Says nom-nom (gotten from the book
Pahingi po? - refer to Attachment C)
 Says X, Y, Z (alphabet)
 Calls his father – daddy
- February 18 - 24  Said ayay when he bumped his head
 Sings ABC – most is not comprehensible
 Says 1, 2, 3 – not that clear
- February 25 - March 3  Calls his older brother by name – Deydey
(Brother’s name is Andrei)
 When he sees a banana, he says hmmm
(copied from the book Pahingi po? – refer to
Attachment C)
 Reads the book by himself and tries to copy
how it was read to him
- March 4 - 10  Says 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 clearly together with his
brother (through a game)

15
 CASE STUDY: ANECDOTAL SHEET
LIST OF WORDS ROSH SPEAKS BEFORE DURING AND AFTER THE
READING SESSIONS
(WITH OBSERVATIONS)
DATE (PER WEEK) LIST OF WORDS (OBSERVATIONS)
 Reads most of the letters of the alphabet (A,
B, C, O, P, Q, R, S, T, W, X, Y and Z)
- March 11 - 17  When read the book to him he copied some
words (e.g. bipbipbip when he sees the page
where there is a bus and a jeepney which he
got from the book Sakay Na! – refer to
Attachment C)
- March 18 - 24  Says the alphabet clearly
 Says 1 – 10 clearly
- March 25 - 31  Opened the refrigerator and said “nom, nom,
nom” when he saw the food inside
 Says apol and points to the apple and the
fruits in the book (see Attachment C)
 Calls his mother as daddy.
 Says bye and waves when he hears paalam
na (gotten from the book Kita-kita Tayo! –
see Attachment C)
- April 1 - 11  He was given a biscuit and he said “open”
 Said abi when he saw Jollibee
 He can say basketball when playing the game
with his brother
 Said babby (when we ask him to say
mommy) – has a hard time saying M
 Says names of fruits when he sees their
pictures
o Apol – apple
o Babe – banana

16
 CASE STUDY: ANECDOTAL SHEET
LIST OF WORDS ROSH SPEAKS BEFORE DURING AND AFTER THE
READING SESSIONS
(WITH OBSERVATIONS)
DATE (PER WEEK) LIST OF WORDS (OBSERVATIONS)
o Oyange – Orange
 Says bus when he saw the picture of a bus
C. After the reading sessions with  Says juice to refer to water, juice and soda
the learner (April 12 – May 7,  Says oobrush while trying to get his
2019) toothbrush
 Sings the alphabet all the time
 Can count to twenty (baby talk)
 Can identify and tell the names of some
fruits (grapes, papaya, watermelon, and
strawberry)
 Can identify and say some colors (red, blue,
green, yellow and white)
 When he talks to people he is
incomprehensible, but when he just says one
word, some of the words can be understood

The anecdotal sheet together with the videos of the learner show that before
the intervention of reading a story book to the learner, he is just at the babbling stage based
on Harley’s The Psychology of Language. According to Harley, “babbling is distinguished
from vocal play by the presence of true syllables (consonants plus vowels), often repeated”
(2001, p. 98). However, week after week we can see that the learner has jumped from
babbling stage to transitional phase (based on Hoff’s Language Development). According to
Hoff, during this transitional period, children produce their own invented words (2001)

After two months of reading story book to the learner, we can see that he has already
learned a lot of words. We can also see that most of these words are concrete nouns and
interjections. Rosh also tries to communicate with people around him. However, he is still
incomprehensible when saying longer phrases.
17
III. Interview

After the reading sessions with the learner, his father, grandmother, and oldest brother
were interviewed by the researches to verify data gathered from the questionnaire and the
anecdotal sheet. Based on the interview, the three respondents have confirmed that the words
said by the learner before the reading sessions were just one-syllable words that he sometimes
repeats.

They also said that 3 books were read to Rosh at least once a day (Pahingi po?, Sakay
Na! & Kita-kita Tayo!). Rosh’s father said he was read 3x a day thinking that 3 books were
read to him thrice a day. There is no specific schedule that was followed for the reading
sessions.

All the respondents agreed that the learner’s speaking ability has improved after 2
months of reading story books to him, and the three of them explained that his vocabulary has
expanded after the reading sessions with him. His grandmother said that Rosh has learned a
lot of words, even colors, number and the alphabet. His brother explained that Rosh has
learned new words also like apple, juice and the sounds of the car. His father also said that
he has learned a lot of new words after the sessions.

When asked what other things have improved from the learner aside from his
speaking ability after the reading sessions with him, his grandmother explained that his words
can now be understood and that he just has more vocabulary now. His brother expressed that
the learner now can understand what he wants the learner to do, and that the learner
understands his own actions, too. His brother also said that the learner now interacts better
with a lot of people. The learner’s father said that Rosh has become smarter and naughtier
after the reading sessions with him. He didn’t explain this further.

18
 CHAPTER V

CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS

Conclusions

The main objective of this study is to determine if a child who lagged behind the
stages of language development for a two year old can improve his language and
communication skill after sessions of reading story books to him.

After reviewing and analyzing the results thoroughly, the researchers found out that
different internal and external factors can really affect the language development of a child.
Biological and sociological factors have immense effects on the improvement of the learner’s
language development and communication skill. Nevertheless, for children who lagged
behind the stages of language development, intervention plays an important role in helping
improve their language and communication skill.

An intervention like reading story books to a child allows the speaking skill of a child
to improve because a he tends to copy the sounds he hears and the way it was said to him.
Vocabulary picked up from the story books read to a child also plays a vital role in the
improvement of a child’s language since he tends to use these words when conversing with
other people. Attention also improves when a child is read to because he has something to
focus on when listening to the stories read to him. However, the length of the session plays a
fundamental role in a child’s language development. If the reading session was done to the
learner for a longer period of time, he would have more time to hear new words and be at par
with the language development and communication skill of children his age. With this, it can
be concluded that reading story books to a child helps develop his language and speaking
skill, although it is not a guarantee that it can enhance his language development with that of
children with the same age.

Furthermore, when intervening, it is more effective to use multiple methods since a

child especially those of a very young age can grasp different knowledge and a lot of learning
from the people around him and from his own experiences.

19
Recommendations

The researchers would like to recommend this study as a reference and a guide for
future studies. However, for future researchers who will research more about the language
development of a two-year old child, the researchers recommend to have a more structured
reading sessions since there was no specific time followed during the reading sessions with
the learner. The researchers also recommend to conduct the study for a longer period of time.
More in-depth observations and better way to record the learner are also recommended given
that it was difficult to record the child since most situations and conversations happen
unexpectedly and the learner becomes conscious when he learned that he was videotaped.
Also, more insightful questions are recommended for the interview and a different way to get
data / information from the parent would be helpful in view of the fact that the parent is
reluctant to have an interview. Comparative study with a child of the same age is also
recommended for a more astute findings.

20
References:

Akhtar, N., & Gernsbacher, M. A. (2007). Joint Attention and Vocabulary Development: A
Critical Look. Language and linguistics compass, 1(3), 195-207.

Alic, M. PhD (n.d.). Language Development. Encyclopedia’s of Children’s Health. Retrieved

from http://www.healthofchildren.com/L/Language-Development.html

Bus, A. G. (2008). Social – Emotional Requisites for Learning to Read. On Reading Books to
Children. Mahwah, NJ: Taylor and Francis, e-Library

Crook, D. (2010). Books Abound!. Texas Child Care. Retrieved from

https://www.childcarequarterly.com/fall10_story1.html

Dickinson, D.K., Griffith, J.A., Golinkoff, R.M. & Hirsh-Pasek (2012). Review Article: How
Reading Books Fosters Language Development around the World. Vanderbilt
University, Nashville, TN

Farooq, U. (2015, September 17). Importance of Language in Society. Retrieved from SLN
Study Lecture Notes : http://www.studylecturenotes.com/journalism-mass-
communication/importance-of-language-in-society

Flynn, E. E. (2013). What Story Circles Reveal about Preschool Children’s Storytelling.
Michigan, USA.

Fricke, S., Bowyer-Crane, C., Haley, A. J., Hulme, C., & Snowling, M. J. (2013). Efficacy of
language intervention in the early years. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry,
280-290.Harley, T. (2001). The Psychology of Language From Data to Theory. New
York, New York. Psychology Press Taylor and Francis Group

Harley, T. (2001). The Psychology of Language From Data to Theory. New York, N.Y.:
Psychology Press Taylor and Francis Group

Hoff, E. (2009). Language Development. Belmont, CA.: Wadsworth Cengage Learning

How Reading Helps Language Development. (2017, May 4). Retrieved from
https://www.healthlinkbc.ca/health-topics/ta7018

Kilgour, D. (1999, October 9). The Importance of Language. Retrieved from David Kilgour:
http://www.david-kilgour.com/mp/sahla.htm

21
Lowry, L. ( 2018), Paving the way to school success: The role of decontextualized language.
Retrieved from: https://www.hanen.org/SiteAssets/Articles---Printer-
Friendly/Research-in-your-Daily-Work/Paving-the-way-to-school-success-PF.aspx

Mart, C. (2012). Developing Speaking Skills through Reading. International Journal of

English Linguistics. 2. 10.5539/ijel.v2n6p91.

Naremora, R. C. & Hopper, R. (1997). Children Learning Language 3rd edition. San Diego,
CA: Singular Publishing Group

Oswalt, A. (n.d.). Infancy Cognitive Development. MentalHelp.net. Retrieved from

https://www.mentalhelp.net/articles/infancy-cognitive-development-language-
development/

Pankey, J.C. (2000). The Benefits of Reading Aloud to Pre-school Children. Biola University,
La Miranda, CA

Poventud, L. S. (2013). Developing Social–Emotional Vocabulary through Story Book

Reading. University of Florida, USA

Rivas, B.K. (2012). Vocabulary Development through Shared Readings: The Potential Role
of Explicit Instruction and Supplemental Multimedia in the Preschool ELL
Classroom. Southern Methodist University, Ann Arbor, MI.

Saxton, M. (2010). Child Language Acquisition and Development. London. SAGE

Publications Ltd.

22
Attachment A – picture of the learner

23
Attachment B – Harley’s Stages of Language Development

24
Attachment C – Story books used in the intervention

25
26
27
28
Attachment D - Questionnaire

29
30