ECE Early Language & Literacy and Theoretical Perspectives Summary

Sample Solution

• Nativist Perspective: This perspective argues that children are born with a universal grammar, which is a set of innate principles that govern the structure of all languages. This perspective is also known as the innatist perspective or the language acquisition device (LAD) hypothesis.

• Cognitive Developmental Perspective: This perspective argues that language development is closely linked to cognitive development. This means that children's ability to learn language depends on their overall cognitive abilities, such as their memory, attention, and problem-solving skills.

Full Answer Section

• Behaviorist Perspective: This perspective argues that language development is a product of learning. This means that children learn language through a process of conditioning, in which they are rewarded for using language correctly and punished for using it incorrectly.

• Interactionist Perspective: This perspective argues that language development is a result of the interaction between innate factors and environmental factors. This means that children's language development is influenced by both their genetic makeup and their experiences in the world.

Here are some additional details about each perspective:

• Nativist Perspective: The nativist perspective is based on the idea that humans have a biological predisposition to learn language. This perspective is supported by the fact that all children, regardless of their culture or environment, learn to speak at a relatively young age. The nativist perspective is also supported by the finding that children make errors in language that are not caused by their environment. For example, all children go through a stage where they overgeneralize the rules of grammar. For example, they might say "goed" instead of "went".

• Cognitive Developmental Perspective: The cognitive developmental perspective is based on the idea that language development is closely linked to cognitive development. This perspective is supported by the finding that children's language abilities improve as their cognitive abilities improve. For example, children are not able to understand complex sentences until they have developed the ability to think about multiple ideas at the same time.

• Behaviorist Perspective: The behaviorist perspective is based on the idea that language development is a product of learning. This perspective is supported by the finding that children learn new words and phrases by being exposed to them in their environment. For example, children are more likely to learn a word if they hear it frequently and if it is paired with a positive experience.

• Interactionist Perspective: The interactionist perspective is based on the idea that language development is a result of the interaction between innate factors and environmental factors. This perspective is supported by the finding that children's language development is influenced by both their genetic makeup and their experiences in the world. For example, children who are exposed to a rich language environment are more likely to develop strong language skills than children who are not exposed to as much language.

It is important to note that these are just four of the many theoretical perspectives on language development. There is no single theory that can fully explain how children learn language. However, these four perspectives provide a useful framework for understanding the complex process of language acquisition.