Using Parent Report to Measure Vocabulary in Young Bilingual Children: A Scoping Review

Area of Science:

• Child Development
• Linguistics
• Psychology

Background:

• Many children worldwide are exposed to multiple languages from an early age.
• Parent-report measures are standard for assessing monolingual children's vocabulary but present unique challenges in bilingual/multilingual contexts.
• Existing research on bilingual/multilingual children's vocabulary using parent reports has grown but lacks global linguistic diversity.

Purpose of the Study:

• To conduct a methodological scoping review of studies using parent reports to assess early vocabulary development in bilingual/multilingual children.
• To identify trends, methodologies, and gaps in the existing literature.
• To highlight areas for future research and standardization.

Main Methods:

• Systematic search of literature databases for studies published between January 1980 and March 2022.
• Screening of 576 articles to identify 101 relevant studies for analysis.
• Analysis of included studies focusing on parent-report measures for bilingual/multilingual children's vocabulary.

Main Results:

• The number of studies has increased significantly in the last 20 years, yet representation of global languages is limited.
• Most studies assessed vocabulary in each language separately, often adapting existing instruments for cultural and linguistic relevance.
• Despite adaptations, the field requires standardized reporting on definitions of bilingualism, reporter selection, and instrument development.

Conclusions:

• Parent-report measures are valuable for assessing bilingual/multilingual children's vocabulary but require specific adaptations.
• There is a critical need for the development, validation, and normalization of parent-report instruments tailored for bilingual/multilingual populations.
• Standardized reporting practices are essential to advance the field and ensure accurate assessment across diverse linguistic contexts.