Partially supported by a NULab Seedling Grant.
This project combines traditional naturalistic and longitudinal methodologies with advanced computational techniques to investigate bilingual development of US Latinx children aged 12 to 36 months who are learning both Spanish and English. This research represents an interdisciplinary and inter-institutional effort with Loyola University Chicago. It is aimed at addressing significant gaps in current linguistic studies, which have often overlooked the unique sociolinguistic and parenting practices of US Latinx families.
The current project integrates naturalistic, longitudinal, and psycholinguistic methods to collect rich datasets. Data include video observations and specialized audio recordings that capture environmental and social contexts, along with the linguistic input and conversational interactions within the child’s immediate surroundings across multiple developmental stages. These data are further enriched by qualitative interviews with parents about their sociolinguistic and cultural practices as well as their parenting philosophies.
The computational component of this project plays a novel and crucial role in integrating, analyzing, and modeling rich and complex sociolinguistic data. By leveraging computational methodologies, the project seeks to develop a more comprehensive model to represent how sociocultural and linguistic contexts shape bilingual children’s language development over time. The anticipated outcomes of this research include a deeper scientific understanding of bilingual environments, along with actionable insights that could lead to educational practices and policies that are more sensitive to the experiences of multilingual and multicultural communities.
Principal Investigator
Priya Shimpi Driscoll, Professor of Education, Mills College
Collaborator
Perla Gámez, Professor of Psychology, Loyola University Chicago
