The language development of children is a significant area for investigation. A variety of reasons can influence the appearance of the particular problems with language acquisition. The assessment of the potential and current problems is crucial for the successful elimination of further complications. In the following paper, the article concerning language development in children who are 3-6 years old will be evaluated to give the answer to the research question. “How does the child language develop after five years?” is a research question of the paper under consideration.
The article under evaluation is entitled “Language development and affecting factors in 3- to 6- year-old children” was written by Nuray Bayar Muluk, Birgül Bayoğlu, and Banu Anlar. The article was published in the official journal of the European Federation of Oto-Rhino-Laryngological Societies in 2014. Authors of the article familiarize readers with factors that affect the development of language in children.
The primary purpose of the article is to define and evaluate factors influencing language problems in four domains including language, gross motor, fine motor, and personal-social. Authors conducted the research to gather all relevant information concerning language difficulties for proper and timely intervention. It is of great significance as far as problems with language development may lead to further complications. The article under analysis is the empirical study.
Quantitative methods of research have been utilized for the study. Demographic data were gathered with the help of the standard questionnaire. Focus groups and observations were primary methods for data collection. The method of snowball sampling was used for data sampling. It allowed to present all information in logical sequence. An inductive approach was used for the study as far as it is based on data. During the study, authors engaged children in different activities such as pointing at four pictures, defining words, dressing, picking longer names and other games. The Denver II screening test was also employed. The method of statistical analysis was used for the evaluation of results.
According to the findings of the study, the number of children living at home and gender do not impact the development of language in children of all groups. Maternal factors are significant for language development in every group. In children who are above five, mother’s education affected the effectiveness of conducting such activities as counting and finding opposites (Muluk, Bayoğlu, & Anlar, 2014). Mother’s age positively affected five and six-year-old children in such activities as naming and pointing at pictures, and counting. The implications of findings for therapists include additional knowledge for the assessment of the primary reasons for difficulties. Clients (parents) may take into consideration data to evaluate themselves and react on problems adequately.
The first strength of the research is that authors have evaluated four major age groups. Also, the methods for research have been chosen with efficiency. I liked the detailed representation of results. The first weakness refers to the lack of implications and suggestions for further studies. It is not clear what has to be done next. Also, I consider the disproportionate number of participants (160 three-year-olds and 55 six-year-olds) may have misled researchers. This article complements the information in other articles in my group. It is useful for the comparison of practical results with theoretical findings. These connections are helpful for the better understanding of the problem of school development of children. They are also useful for the evaluation of differences between pre-school and school developmental problems.
Reference
Muluk, N., Bayoğlu, B., & Anlar, B. (2014). Language development and affecting factors in 3- to 6- year-old children. European Archives of Oto-Rhino-Laryngology, 271(5), 871-878.