Word Gap
From
"The Early Catastrophe: The 30 Million Word Gap by Age 3" by
University of Kansas researchers Betty Hart and Todd R. Risley. (2003).
from Rice University “Betty Hart and Todd Risley entered the homes of 42
families from various socio-economic backgrounds to assess the ways in which
daily exchanges between a parent and child shape language and vocabulary
development. Their findings were unprecedented, with extraordinary disparities
between the sheer number of words spoken as well as the types of messages
conveyed. After four years these differences in parent-child interactions
produced significant discrepancies in not only children’s knowledge, but also
their skills and experiences with children from high-income families being
exposed to 30 million more words than children from families on welfare.
Follow-up studies showed that these differences in language and interaction
experiences have lasting effects on a child’s performance later in life.”
I read about this discrepancy in a magazine earlier in the
week and could not let it go. 30 million word difference…It is easy to say that
in America if one works hard enough one can break through all barriers
including socioeconomic ones but how true or easy is that. I work in a head
start building where children ages 3-5 come for ½ a day and receive 2 meals a
day. It is in a preschool setting so books are read and teaching occurs but
according to the study by 3 years old the difference is already in place.
Poverty of cash and food and housing but also a poverty of words. I keep
shaking my head in disbelief. This is not about limited resources, words are
free, they can be given anywhere and any place yet in certain at risk
populations they are limited. According to another study I read, “Low-income
parents underestimate their power to influence their children’s cognitive
development, sometimes by as much as 50 percent. Wealthy parents spend more
time engaged in these activities because they have better access to
information, and O’Leary argued that when parents understand the impact they
have on their child’s cognitive development, they invest. Parents are not aware of the importance of
their words.”
How do we make a
difference if it is the parents influence? I can pray but action is also needed such
as trying to come along side new moms and discuss the importance of talking to
their babies, sharing books and participating in literacy programs for adults
and little ones and encouraging participation in story hours at local libraries.
This is excellent. The findings from the 2011 research on homeschooling hints at this. Kind of.... Susan Wise Bowers speaks of talking to your children about everything! And it is free!
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