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Semin Speech Lang 2021; 42(02): 088-100
DOI: 10.1055/s-0041-1723838
Review Article

The Role of Preschool Peers in Children's Language Development

Kelly M. Purtell
1   Department of Human Sciences, College of Education and Human Ecology, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio
2   Crane Center for Early Childhood Research and Policy, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio
,
Arya Ansari
1   Department of Human Sciences, College of Education and Human Ecology, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio
2   Crane Center for Early Childhood Research and Policy, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio
,
Qingqing Yang
1   Department of Human Sciences, College of Education and Human Ecology, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio
,
Caroline P. Bartholomew
1   Department of Human Sciences, College of Education and Human Ecology, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio
› Author Affiliations Funding This article was supported by U.S. Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences Grant no. R305A190302. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the Institute of Education Sciences or U.S. Department of Education.
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Abstract

Almost 5 million children attend preschool in the United States each year. Recent attention has been paid to the ways in which preschool classrooms shape children's early language development. In this article, we discuss the importance of peers and classroom composition through the lens of age and socioeconomic status and the implications for children's early learning and development. We also discuss the direct and indirect mechanisms through which classroom peers may shape each other's language development. As part of this discussion, we focus on exposure to peer language and engagement with peers, along with teachers' classroom practices. We conclude by discussing the ways in which teachers can ensure that children in classrooms of different compositions reap the maximum benefit, along with implications for research, policy, and practice.

Keywords

Preschool - peer effects - age composition - socioeconomic composition

Financial Disclosure

The first and second authors' research is funded by the U.S. Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences Grant no. R305A190302.


Nonfinancial Disclosure

None.




Publication History

Article published online:
16 March 2021

© 2021. Thieme. All rights reserved.

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