Sample HT5006 Childrens Language and Literacy Essay 2

HT5006 Children’s Language and Literacy Essay 2 Sample

Requirements

The research essay engages students’ critical thinking, analytical and writing skills and helps them in their analysis and synthesis of the topics covered in the first five weeks of the unit.

Analyse how theories of linguistics, and language development and acquisition can be applied to understand and build responses to practical situations and problems. Key questions include: What is the purpose and main facets of each theory? Why is the perspective included in the theory? What are examples of how the theory can be or has been used? How do the theories shed new light on practical problems? Use this research essay to analyse and synthesise the topics covered in the first six weeks of the unit.

The research essay should be 2,500 words in length. The essay should be well-written, well organised, and free of errors. It should accurately summarise the key findings of the selected theory and practices and should use supporting evidence such as information from the report and internet sources to back up the analysis. The essay should also include original insights and ideas, and should be presented in a clear and concise manner. It must include specific examples from your professional placements.

Solution

1. Introduction

Language growth is highly important for young children. It helps build a strong base for skills that will come in handy later on, whether social or intellectual. For example, a child who learns language early will probably find it easier to talk about how they feel and what they think with their friends and adults, like teachers. In that context, it is also highly important to look at both theories and methods when studying language development and learning to grasp how children learn and use language fully. This essay for The Assignment helpline looks at some of the linguistic and cognitive theories that have been discussed and focuses on how they can be used to solve current problems in children's language development. The essay takes a critical look at these theories, like behaviourism, nativism, and Piaget's Semantic-Cognitive Theory, in order to address the practical problems about how children learn language for school. The essay examines how these views shed light on problems in the real world by looking into the purpose and main facets of each theory. Piaget's Semantic-Cognitive Theory, for example, connects different stages of cognitive development with learning a language. This theory can help educators understand how to treat developmental language disorders (DLD). This method makes it easier to make learning plans that are right for each child's cognitive level. Through this analysis, the essay hopes to help readers better understand how theory models can be used to make language learning better and deal with present problems in the education system for children.

2. Theories

Theory and practice in education are made so that people can better understand, teach, and learn about a wider range of topics in the education field. It was created for experienced teachers so that theory and practice could be used together to help children learn more. Based on this context, this section discusses the relevant theories, such as Skinner's behaviourism theory, Chomsky's "Nativism" theory and Piaget's Semantic-Cognitive Theory and their importance in children's language development.

Behaviourism Theory

Skinner's behaviourism theory of language development's purpose is to explain how children learn language by interacting with their surroundings. Operant conditioning, in which language is learnt through imitation and reward, is one of the theory's most important facets. Children are rewarded or praised when they copy adults and say the right things (Fauzi et al. 2022). The following shows the theory’s major principles.

Figure 1: Behaviourism Theory’s Principles
(Source: Fauzi et al. 2022)

This makes the behaviour more likely to happen again. Skinner believed that habits are formed through patterns of input and reaction and outward feedback. The theory says that language learning is shaped by these patterns. In addition, to stress that language acquisition is learnt through external exchanges rather than natural skills, the perspective is included in behaviourism theory (Devaki, 2021). In this situation, learning a language is seen as a form of training. Children learn by copying adults and getting positive feedback, like praise or treats, which makes their language skills stronger through repeated patterns of input and reaction. However, one limitation of Skinner's theory is that it ignores the natural brain processes involved in language formation. A child's mistakes or steps of growth show that imitation is not the only way they learn a language (Fauzi et al. 2022). Additionally, children cannot always repeat what adults say, which suggests that deeper, more complicated processes are going on inside them.

In addition, Positive Behaviour for Learning (PBL) is used in schools across the Western Sydney Region of the New South Wales Department of Education and Training (NSW DET). This is an example of using behaviourism theory in Australian education. PBL, which started in 2005, uses the ideas of behaviourism and reward to control and improve how students behave (Mooney et al. 2008). Students are rewarded for good behaviour in this method, which makes them more likely to do good things. Some schools, like Rooty Hill High School, use PBL. When students follow the rules and behave well in class, they get awards like honour cards (Mooney et al. 2008). This fits with Skinner's theory of behaviourism because behaviour is changed by constant reward, which makes the school a better place to learn.

Recently, children with language trouble often start talking later and grow their language more slowly. Additionally, 20% of children start talking later than their peers, but only a small percentage of those children have long lasting language problems (Joner et al. 2022). According to this research, this happened between the ages of three and four. Skinner's behaviourism theory can help to mitigate problems like starting to talk late or developing language slowly. As per the theory, language is learnt through exchanges with the world, mostly through imitation and reward (Yusra et al. 2022). Using Skinner's ideas about operant conditioning, teachers and parents can set up organised settings that encourage good speaking habits. For example, giving children a prize for trying to speak, even if they make mistakes, makes them want to try again, which helps them learn the language more slowly. By stressing how important constant feedback is in language practice, this method can shed light on the problem of delayed language development. Behaviourist methods, like positive feedback, can be used in early intervention programs to help children learn language faster (Alharbi, 2023). Skinner's theory emphasises the importance of outside factors in learning a language. It suggests that constant feedback can help find and fix long-lasting language problems in children between the ages of three and four, which can help teachers and parents better deal with these developmental issues (Yusra et al. 2022).

Nativism (Chomsky) Theory

The goal of Chomsky's "Nativism" theory is to show that learning a language is a natural process. The purpose is to demonstrate that people are physically pre equipped with a Language Acquisition Device (LAD) that makes it easier to learn a language through contact. Universal Grammar, one of the theory's main facets, holds that all languages are built on the same basic building blocks, which are hard-wired into the brain (Linkedin, 2022). The following are the major factors that highly support the theory.

Figure 2: Major Factors of Chomsky's Nativism Theory
(Source: Vobs, 2024)

This explains why children learn language so easily and quickly. However, there are some problems with the theory, such as the fact that brain imaging studies have not provided any clear proof for the LAD and that it does not take into account how social contact and environmental input affect language development (Linkedin, 2022). According to this perspective, children can easily learn language due to the Language Acquisition Device (LAD) and Universal Grammar. Chomsky gives several reasons for this to be true. One of the most important reasons is that children learn their mother tongue quickly. He says that if children learnt language the same way they learn math or how to ride a bicycle, it would be nothing short of spectacular (Vobs, 2024).

In other words, Australia's early childhood education programs have been affected by Chomsky's Nativism theory, which has changed how language is taught and learnt. For example, the Early Years Learning Framework (EYLF) stresses the importance of having language-rich settings, which is in line with the idea that children are naturally able to learn the language (Threelionsinternationalschool.com, 2024). Based on the theory, schools can also use methods that help students' natural language skills, like giving them a variety of language-related activities and chances to connect in useful ways. For example, schools can also use engaging reading lessons and story-telling exercises to use children's natural language skills (Linkedin, 2022).

On the other hand, when it comes to language growth, children in Australia face certain problems. Only under 10% of Australian children have trouble developing their language skills by the time they start school, and 7% of all children have a disease called delayed language disorder (Gowing, 2023). Almost 80% of those had never even heard of developing language disorder, and their parents did not know about this problem (Gowing, 2023). These problems worsened during the COVID-19 lockdowns when children missed language rich settings and had fewer chances to connect with other children while spending more time in front of screens. This has caused problems, such as having trouble sharing a story in a way that makes sense, which can lead to reading and writing issues, problems in school, and issues with relationships with peers (Gowing, 2023).

In that case, Chomskys idea of "nativism" can help educators and parents understand these problems with language growth. Chomsky's theory focuses on the innate Language Acquisition Device (LAD), which says that children are naturally able to learn language. According to this perspective, children still have the innate ability to learn languages even when things get in the way, like when COVID 19 lockdowns happen or when they do not have a lot of contact with them. Nativism states that early assistance using this natural ability can help with problems like taking a long time to learn the language and sharing stories. By supporting and engaging the LAD, storytelling or interactive language exercises can be made to close the language gaps that have been made worse by recent problems. This will help children with trouble with reading, schoolwork, and relationships with their peers.

Semantic Cognitive (Piaget) Theory

Jean Piaget's Semantic-Cognitive theory looks at how language, learning, and cognitive development are connected. It says that language is an important part of a child's brain growth as a whole. The theory's purpose is to explain how cognitive processes support language learning, with an emphasis on how language development is closely linked to cognitive development in general. The four steps of brain growth identified by Piaget, such as Sensory Motor, Pre Operational, Concrete Operational, and Formal Operational, are also the key facets of this theory (Ruhee, 2024). Each stage shows a different set of brain skills, from simple exchanges with the senses to complicated mental thinking. Piaget came up with important ideas, like assimilation and accommodation. Assimilation is when new events are added to existing cognitive frameworks, and accommodation is when existing frameworks are changed to fit new knowledge.

On the other side, Piaget's theory does have some imitation issues. In early childhood, the link between language and brain growth is significantly clear (Sidik, 2020). As children get older, however, the link becomes less clear. In addition, the development of grammar and spelling does not always happen at the same time as general brain growth (Ruhee, 2024). Cognitive development cannot be enough to explain how people learn languages fully. In other words, one important part of Piaget's theory is the perspective, which gives individuals a way to think about how different stages of brain growth affect language learning. This way of thinking helps teachers make lessons and activities that are right for each age group, but it should be used with other ideas to cover parts of language development that Piaget's theory does not fully cover (Ruhee, 2024).

At the same time, Piaget's Semantic-Cognitive theory can help children learn language in a number of different ways. Teachers can use role-playing with toys or other forms of symbolic play with children ages 2 to 7 to help them understand and use symbols, which improves their speaking skills (SENEL, 2023). During the Concrete Operational Stage (7 to 11 years), teachers can use tasks that involve sorting and categorising, like putting things into groups or putting words into groups, to help children develop their language and logical thinking. Additionally, Piaget's focus on assimilation and adaptation can help teachers create learning experiences that build on what children already know while also pushing them to change and learn more (Ruhee, 2024). Combining thinking and verbal development, these ways help language growth.

In the context of practical problems, in Australia, the education systems or schools have a hard time helping children who are having trouble with language development. Research in 2022 showed that Developmental Language Disorder (DLD), which affects about 6.4% of 10 year olds, is a common problem (Calder et al. 2022). Children with DLD have trouble understanding and using words, as well as their peers. The issue is made worse by using different words and not enough people knowing about DLD. As a major risk factor for DLD, smoking by the mother during pregnancy has been found, stressing the need for preventative steps (Calder et al. 2022). In that context, Piaget's Semantic Cognitive Theory can help teachers or educators understand and solve problems with language development, like the common condition called Developmental Language Disorder (DLD) in Australia. This theory focuses on how brain and language growth are connected. Piaget said that children add new language ideas to the mental structures they already have and change these structures to understand new things (SENEL, 2023). Learning methods that are in line with Piaget's steps can be helpful for children with DLD. During the Pre Operational Stage, for example, children with DLD can better understand complex language ideas by using symbolic play and real-life models. During the Concrete Operational Stage, tasks that require sorting things into groups and using logical reasoning can help with language use and understanding (Ruhee, 2024). Teachers can make changes that meet the specific cognitive and language needs of children with DLD by using Piaget's ideas in their lessons. This can help the child's language skills and general growth.

3. Conclusion

In conclusion, it could be said that behaviourism, nativism and Piaget's Semantic Cognitive Theory have aided in understanding language development better and its practical applications in education. That is why Skinner’s behaviourism places emphasis on operant conditioning and external feedback to show that imitation and rewards help to foster language learning. Australian educational practices, like Positive Behaviour for Learning (PBL), show that behaviourist ideas can help children who are behind in their language development by encouraging positive feedback. However, behaviourism alone may not fully address all aspects of language learning due to the theory's lack of imitation in accounting for natural cognitive processes. Chomsky's nativism theory, which says that people are born with an innate Language Acquisition Device (LAD), shows that people can naturally learn languages through Universal Grammar. The idea of utilising children's innate language skills in rich linguistic settings is consistent with this theory's effect on Australia's Early Years Learning Framework (EYLF). The theory has some good points, but it lacks real world proof for the LAD and overestimates the importance of social contact in language growth. Piaget's Semantic Cognitive Theory ties together different stages of cognitive development with learning a language. It gives a significant way to think about how cognitive processes help children learn a language. The theory can help with developmental language disorder (DLD) because it is used in school settings to help children with things like symbolic play and sorting chores. However, Piaget's theory does not fully explain why language development is different for each person. This suggests that educators and parents need a more comprehensive method that combines cognitive and linguistic ideas. Although different in their perspectives and applications, each theory has its own strengths; therefore, language acquisition strategies should be based on behaviourism, nativism and cognition.

References