Verbal and Nonverbal Abilities in English First and Second Language Children

This study examined verbal and nonverbal abilities in Italian children for whom English is a second language and monolingual English controls. Subjects were 64 of the two-language children and 33 monolingual children attending English kindergarten in middle class areas. In November the Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test was administered, and in May of the same school year, the alternate form of the Peabody and the Raven Colored Progressive Matrices were administered. The two-language children performed significantly more poorly on the picture vocabulary test in November and May than controls. However, they did improve Peabody scores significantly between November and May. There was no significant difference between the two-language groups on the Raven Matrices. When socioeconomic level is controlled, a relatively culture-free test is selected, and these two-language children are culturally assimilated, deficiencies in nonverbal skills may not be found.