Successful acquisition of a society’s majority language is important for the future academic success in that country for multilingual children. This study examined the Dutch linguistic skills of...Show moreSuccessful acquisition of a society’s majority language is important for the future academic success in that country for multilingual children. This study examined the Dutch linguistic skills of multilingual kindergarten children aged 5-6 years (N=73). The study was conducted in one urban elementary school. Oral comprehension, narrative production, and attempt to tell a story were tested. The relationship between comprehension and production in Dutch was examined, and whether a child's language background and attempt to convey a story influenced this relationship. Country of birth and amount of exposure to majority language Dutch were considered as the language background. Two hierarchical multiple regressions and a test of correlation were run. Results indicated that comprehension and production were significantly, positively associated. Neither country of birth nor attempt influenced this relationship. Based on comparison between correlations, the amount of Dutch majority language exposure did not strengthen the relationship between comprehension and production. Attempt was found to be a significant, positive predicter of production. These results indicate that language background should be more comprehensively researched in the future and that comprehension and attempt should be considered by educators and researchers to help support multilingual children’s successful acquisition of a second language.Show less
