Excuses; Baby Language Studies

Excuses -- Baby Language Studies

It would seem that a variety of audio/visual materials are needed to sustain multilingual development during early childhood. CDs and videos alone will not be adequate. Substantial and continuing interaction with native speakers is probably also important. A controlled study would be helpful.

Even if a study shows that favorable results were obtained, critics will not be easily convinced. The following is a series of criticisms which can be anticipated:

There was no control group. -- The group was small; statistically insignificant. -- The investigators were not properly qualified. -- The study used a special prescreened group.-- The qualifications of the group varied greatly. -- Other factors influenced the results. -- Not a rigorous study; lacked scientific discipline; a larger study is needed. -- Only a preliminary result; the long term results are unclear.-- The testing procedures used were not standard procedures. -- Scripted classes were not used (no lesson plans) therefore it is questionable whether the results are repeatable. -- The influence of the parents (bilingual and/or multilingual) probably biased the results. -- The non-school environment was not well documented. -- They (the children) tend to mix (confuse) their languages.

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