Topics in Child Language Development

LELA30672 Topics in Child Language Development 20 Semester 2 Undergraduate Level 3 Thea Cameron-Faulkner Unit coordinator Linguistics & English Language 1 FHEQ level (Framework for Higher Education Qualifications) ' Last part of a Bachelors ' European Credit Transfer & Accumulation System Rating : 10.0 The study of child language development is a fascinating area of research with implications for both linguistic theory and applied contexts. In this course we will focus on four specific aspects of child language development in depth: the acquisition of syntax, the role of the environment and interaction in language development, language development and education, and atypical language development. We will discuss and evaluate competing theories of language development and critically evaluate current research within the four areas outlined above. The course will contain a practical component in which you will have the opportunity to use child language research tools to conduct your own research on corpus data. The analysis will involve quantitative data and statistical analysis. The study of child language development is a fascinating area of research with implications for both linguistic theory and applied contexts. In this course we will focus on four specific aspects of child language development in depth: the acquisition of syntax, the role of the environment and interaction in language development, language development and education, and atypical language development. We will discuss and evaluate competing theories of language development and critically evaluate current research within the four areas outlined above. The course will contain a practical component in which you will have the opportunity to use child language research tools to conduct your own research on corpus data. The analysis will involve quantitative data and statistical analysis. To investigate four key aspects of child language development in depth:<ul><li style="margin-bottom:11px;">Acquisition of syntax & vocabulary</li><li style="margin-bottom:11px;">The role of the environment in language development</li><li style="margin-bottom:11px;">Language development and education</li><li style="margin-bottom:11px;">Language development across populations</li></ul>To critically evaluate key studies within the four areas.To conduct an original research project and present the findings in a professional research report aimed at early years practitioners/educators.To evaluate a range of methodologies and statistical tests. By the end of this course students will be able to:<ul> <li style="margin-bottom: 11px;">Compare and contrast generativist and constructivist accounts of the acquisition of syntax.</li> <li style="margin-bottom: 11px;">Discuss and compare the effects of shared book reading, child-directed speech, and socio-economic class on language development.</li> <li style="margin-bottom: 11px;">Display an understanding of the interaction between language development and formal education.</li> <li style="margin-bottom: 11px;">Describe two forms of atypical language development and evaluate the theoretical import associated with the disorders.</li></ul> By the end of this course students will be able to:<ul> <li style="margin-bottom: 11px;">Compare and contrast generativist and constructivist accounts of the acquisition of syntax.</li> <li style="margin-bottom: 11px;">Discuss and compare the effects of shared book reading, child-directed speech, and socio-economic class on language development.</li> <li style="margin-bottom: 11px;">Display an understanding of the interaction between language development and formal education.</li> <li style="margin-bottom: 11px;">Describe two forms of atypical language development and evaluate the theoretical import associated with the disorders.</li></ul> By the end of this course students will be able to:<ul> <li style="margin-bottom: 11px;">Critically evaluate current research in child language development.</li> <li style="margin-bottom: 11px;">Display an understanding of the ethical issues associated with the discipline.</li> <li style="margin-bottom: 11px;">Display development of their ability to handle quantitative data.</li> <li style="margin-bottom: 11px;">Apply current theories of language development to new data.</li></ul> By the end of this course students will be able to: <ul> <li style="margin-bottom: 11px;">Produce a concise and targeted piece of written work</li> <li style="margin-bottom: 11px;">Confidently discuss current child language research</li> <li style="margin-bottom: 11px;">Read and evaluate primary sources of child language research</li> <li style="margin-bottom: 11px;">Use research tools to analyse child language corpus data</li></ul> By the end of this course students will be able to:<ul> <li style="margin-bottom: 11px;">Evaluate current theories of language development and present the findings in a manner accessible to a non-academic audience</li> <li style="margin-bottom: 11px;">Develop their time management and group work skills</li> <li style="margin-bottom: 11px;">Apply theoretical research to real world problems and contexts.</li></ul> Research The course content encourages members of the class to form links between the world of academic research and the world outside the university thereby providing confidence to use academic research in the `real world'. The focus on quantitative data analysis will be particularly useful in a range of careers and allow students to evaluate claims made regarding statistics and also to present quantitative data in a clear, accurate and accessible manner. Other The course will have particular benefits for any student interested in pursuing a career which involves working with children, young adults, and individuals with special needs. However the course will also provide key skills in critical analysis, dissemination of information to specialist (but non-academic) audiences and therefore be of value for a range of career paths. Provisional outline:Week 1: IntroductionWeek 2: Patterns of Syntactic developmentWeek 3: Generativist theories of syntactic developmentWeek 4: Constructivist theories of syntactic developmentWeek 5: The role of child directed speech in language developmentWeek 6: Widening the scope of the inputWeek 7: Language development and the classroomWeek 8: The development of reading and writingWeek 9: Specific Language ImpairmentWeek 10: Williams syndromeWeek 11: Conclusions Weekly two-hour lectureWeekly hour-long seminar/practicalSupporting video content (via Canvas)E-Learning: All course material, including lecture handouts, practice exercises, links to electronically available readings, and course and assessment info will be made available on Canvas. Students will be able to discuss all aspects of the course with their peers and the teaching staff on the discussion board. 0 Other 100% <figure class="table"><table class="MsoTableGrid" style="border-collapse:collapse;"><tbody><tr><td style="border:1px solid black;padding:0cm 7px;vertical-align:top;width:200px;">Assessment Task</td><td style="border-bottom:1px solid black;border-left-style:none;border-right:1px solid black;border-top:1px solid black;padding:0cm 7px;vertical-align:top;width:200px;">Formative or Summative</td><td style="border-bottom:1px solid black;border-left-style:none;border-right:1px solid black;border-top:1px solid black;padding:0cm 7px;vertical-align:top;width:200px;">Weighting</td></tr><tr><td style="border-bottom:1px solid black;border-left:1px solid black;border-right:1px solid black;border-top-style:none;padding:0cm 7px;vertical-align:top;width:200px;">Written Research Report Plan</td><td style="border-bottom:1px solid black;border-left-style:none;border-right:1px solid black;border-top-style:none;padding:0cm 7px;vertical-align:top;width:200px;">Formative</td><td style="border-bottom:1px solid black;border-left-style:none;border-right:1px solid black;border-top-style:none;padding:0cm 7px;vertical-align:top;width:200px;">0%</td></tr><tr><td style="border-bottom:1px solid black;border-left:1px solid black;border-right:1px solid black;border-top-style:none;padding:0cm 7px;vertical-align:top;width:200px;">Written Research Report (Individual or group submission permitted)</td><td style="border-bottom:1px solid black;border-left-style:none;border-right:1px solid black;border-top-style:none;padding:0cm 7px;vertical-align:top;width:200px;">Summative</td><td style="border-bottom:1px solid black;border-left-style:none;border-right:1px solid black;border-top-style:none;padding:0cm 7px;vertical-align:top;width:200px;">60%</td></tr><tr><td style="border-bottom:1px solid black;border-left:1px solid black;border-right:1px solid black;border-top-style:none;padding:0cm 7px;vertical-align:top;width:200px;">Written  on campus MCQ Exam</td><td style="border-bottom:1px solid black;border-left-style:none;border-right:1px solid black;border-top-style:none;padding:0cm 7px;vertical-align:top;width:200px;">Summative</td><td style="border-bottom:1px solid black;border-left-style:none;border-right:1px solid black;border-top-style:none;padding:0cm 7px;vertical-align:top;width:200px;">40%</td></tr></tbody></table></figure>   <table border="1" cellpadding="1" cellspacing="1" style="width: 500px"> <tbody> <tr> <td> Feedback method</td> <td> Formative or summative</td> </tr> <tr> <td> Written feedback on research report plan</td> <td> Formative</td> </tr> <tr> <td> Written feedback on research report</td> <td> Summative</td> </tr> <tr> <td> Exam 1-to-1 feedback on request</td> <td> Summative</td> </tr> </tbody></table>  LELA20962 Psycholinguistics Pre-Requisite Recommended BA(Hons) English Language BA (Hons) English Language Third Year Optional BA(Hons) Linguistics BA (Hons) Linguistics Third Year Optional Y Ambridge, B. & Lieven, E. (2011) Child Language Acquisition¿Contrasting Theoretical Approaches. Cambridge University Press.Bus, A. G., H., v. I. M., & Pellegrini, A., D. (1995). Joint book reading makes for success in learning to read: A meta-analysis on intergenerational transmission of literacy. Review of Educational Research, 65(1), 1-21.Hulme, C. & Snowling, M. (2009). Developmental disorders of language learning and cognition. Whiley-BlackwellHuttenlocher, J., Vasilyeva, M., Cymerman, E., & Levine, S. (2002). Language input and child syntax. Cognitive Psychology, 45, 337-374.Tomasello, M. (2000) Constructing a language. A usage-based theory of Language Development. Harvard University Press Assessment written exam 2 Lectures 22 Seminars 11 0 165