At the end of this course, you will i) be capable of understanding state-of-the-art child bilingualism literature in considerable detail, (ii) have gained hands-on experience with most steps in the research cycle, including data analysis, (iii) have learned how to work as part of a team, (iv) be able to identify questions, open ends and predictions based on collected data and previous research, and (v) be able to translate research findings into practical advice for parents.
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How do children acquire two languages at the same time? To what extent do their two languages influence each other? Is there are difference between children who start learning their two languages before age four versus those who start after this age? How do bilingual children compare with their monolingual peers? These are just some of the questions addressed in this course. The course will deal with a number of current issues in the field of bilingual language development, such as age effects, cross-linguistic influence, language dominance and the role of variation in input quantity and quality. The aim of the class is to discuss and evaluate the different perspectives on these issues and to detect the theoretical and empirical gaps that will steer new research. Part of the class involves reading and critically evaluating previous literature. Another part involves carrying out a research project together as a class. We’ll conduct a study (more or less) from start to finish over the course of the semester, which will mean that you’ll get hands-on experience with most stages of the research cycle.
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