Psycholinguists have over the years developed theories that shed more light with regard to various aspects of language acquisition in early childhood. According to Whitehead (2004), most of the theories about language acquisition have roots in theories developed in the field of psychology. The theories explaining language acqusition in early childhood are behaviorist, nativist, cognitive and social interactionist. The paper will outline a curriculum content with regard to these theories and how they promote language development during early childhood.
Behaviorist
The behaviorist theory is concerned with language acquisition during early childhood. The theory outlines that children acquire language from adults with respect to how adults take the opportunity to reward or reprimand the children in the process of learning a particular language (Whitehead, 2004). As children learn new words, phrases and expressions in a language, it is important for an adult to reward positive progress and make corrections in instances where the child makes mistakes. The activity in this section will be of children repeating different words, phrases and their meanings after the teacher. The children should be able to understand both the pronunciations and meanings of the words, phrases and expressions. Assessment will entail establishing how effective the children are able to connect different words and phrases with their respective meanings.
The Nativist Theory
The nativist theory outlines the capacity of children to acquire language without necessarily being taught. According to Whitehead (2004), the nativist theory advocates for the creation of an environment where children can creatively learn about new language through listening and observation. Although children will often make mistakes, native learning promotes their understanding of various important aspects of language acquisition, that will serve as foundation for further language proficiency. The activity with regard to nativist theory of language acquisition is to expose the children to audio-visual materials that will allow them to listen to various aspects of the language.
Cognitive Theory
Cognitive theory is concerned with the ability of a language curriculum to impact on the senses of the children in a way that the learning process will be both enjoyable and productive. Listening, seeing and practicing. Audio-visual and literature materials will be used to facilitate cognitive aspect of language development. In addition, activities such as games will be important to make language acquisition more enjoyable and to ensure that children are able to memorize the important aspects of language.
Social Interaction Theory
The social interaction theory outlines that language acquisition is much more than just speech but it involves the social environment which plays a significant role in language acquisition. The learning environment should be conducive and equipped with learning materials to ensure that children are constantly in contact with varied aspects of the language, and that they are free to use it even in social gatherings. The activities in this section will involve sessions where children are taught the various forms of language use in various social situations and given the opportunity to practice. For instance, in one session the children can be taught on how to greet and address persons of different ages and social statuses in the society.
Conclusion
The general realization is that various theories address different aspects of language acquisition. Language acquisition should take into consideration important social and environmental aspects in addition to speech. In the development of curriculum content to promote language acquisition, it is important to use the theories to complement each other to ensure a holistic approach in promoting language acquisition during early childhood.
References
Whitehead, M. R. (2004). Language and Literacy in the Early Years. London: Sage Publications.