On-going Projects
Spanish-speaking Latinos' Bilingual Language Development
With funding from the National Institutes of Health, we are currently conducting audio- and video-taped observations of ~60 Spanish-speaking toddlers and their families from the Chicagoland area. See more information here.
With funding from the National Institutes of Health, we are currently conducting audio- and video-taped observations of ~60 Spanish-speaking toddlers and their families from the Chicagoland area. See more information here.
Completed Projects
The Middle School Classroom Language Environment
With funding from the William T. Grant Foundation and in collaboration with Dr. Nonie K. Lesaux (Harvard Graduate School of Education), we are currently conducting audio- and video-taped observations of ~50 6th-grade English Language Arts classrooms (student n = ~950) from the Chicagoland and Boston areas. Language-Minority and English-only students from each classroom wear a state-of-the-art audio recording device (LENA; www.lenafoundation.org) 4 times throughout the school year in an effort to capture students’ language interactions and assess the quality of these exchanges.
With funding from the William T. Grant Foundation and in collaboration with Dr. Nonie K. Lesaux (Harvard Graduate School of Education), we are currently conducting audio- and video-taped observations of ~50 6th-grade English Language Arts classrooms (student n = ~950) from the Chicagoland and Boston areas. Language-Minority and English-only students from each classroom wear a state-of-the-art audio recording device (LENA; www.lenafoundation.org) 4 times throughout the school year in an effort to capture students’ language interactions and assess the quality of these exchanges.
Advancing Early STEM Learning Opportunities Through Tinkering and Reflection
With funding from the National Science Foundation, and in collaboration with Dr. Catherine Haden (Loyola University Chicago), Dr. David Uttal (Northwestern University) and Tsivia Cohen (Chicago Children's Museum), this study examines the features of parent-child interactions that promote STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) engagement and learning in informal science education settings. Specifically, the project takes place in the Tinkering Lab exhibit at the Chicago Children's Museum and investigates how reflective interactions between parents and children (ages 6-8) during tinkering activities impact child engagement in STEM. See more information here.
With funding from the National Science Foundation, and in collaboration with Dr. Catherine Haden (Loyola University Chicago), Dr. David Uttal (Northwestern University) and Tsivia Cohen (Chicago Children's Museum), this study examines the features of parent-child interactions that promote STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) engagement and learning in informal science education settings. Specifically, the project takes place in the Tinkering Lab exhibit at the Chicago Children's Museum and investigates how reflective interactions between parents and children (ages 6-8) during tinkering activities impact child engagement in STEM. See more information here.
Spanish-speaking Latino Children's Language Use in the Classroom
This study was designed to investigate Spanish-speaking Latino children's language use in the classroom. To capture students' use of language, we rely on the LENA recording device to audio-record 5- to 6-year-old children 3 times during the academic year (kindergarten). We also administer standardized assessments of language and literacy skills at the beginning and end of the year.
This study was designed to investigate Spanish-speaking Latino children's language use in the classroom. To capture students' use of language, we rely on the LENA recording device to audio-record 5- to 6-year-old children 3 times during the academic year (kindergarten). We also administer standardized assessments of language and literacy skills at the beginning and end of the year.
Shared Syntax in Spanish-English Bilingual Children
In this study, we use the structural priming technique to investigate young Spanish-English bilingual children's (age = 5 to 6 years) underlying linguistic representations. Specifically, we investigate whether syntactic information is shared between languages by testing whether syntactic priming occurs between languages (i.e., cross-linguistic priming) and varies as a function of language proficiency. We include Spanish-English bilingual children, who vary in terms of their language dominance (balanced, Spanish-dominant, English-dominant), and test whether exposure to the passive form in English leads to an increase in the production of the passive form in Spanish (i.e., fue-passive), and vice versa.
In this study, we use the structural priming technique to investigate young Spanish-English bilingual children's (age = 5 to 6 years) underlying linguistic representations. Specifically, we investigate whether syntactic information is shared between languages by testing whether syntactic priming occurs between languages (i.e., cross-linguistic priming) and varies as a function of language proficiency. We include Spanish-English bilingual children, who vary in terms of their language dominance (balanced, Spanish-dominant, English-dominant), and test whether exposure to the passive form in English leads to an increase in the production of the passive form in Spanish (i.e., fue-passive), and vice versa.