Effects of non-native input on bilingual preschoolers' Dutch language proficiency

Abstract

This study investigates the effects of non-native input on bilingual preschoolers’ Dutch language proficiency, as well as how these children compare to their monolingual peers. Children were tested on their general Dutch language proficiency and on their use of definite and indefinite articles. No differences were found between the monolingual and the bilingual group on either of the outcomes. The bilingual children’s scores were best explained by child-internal and family-related factors. These findings suggest that the role of non-native input in bilingual preschoolers’ Dutch language development is limited. Some reasons why no direct effects of non-native input were found in this study may have been that the sample size was small and that qualitative (non-native input) factors often have quantitative aspects in them, which makes it difficult to find an effect for such factors after quantitative factors have already been taken into account.