Differences in gender and handedness on language functions in Primary School Children in a rural township in Limpopo, South Africa

The development of language functions is of great interest to neuroscientists and linguists, as these functions are among the fundamental capacities of human cognition. The study of children’s language is essential in child development as early spoken language abilities are highly predictive of school performance. Neuropsychologists have been interested in handedness as a possible indirect measure of cerebral lateralisation for language function. Developing language skills is critical for meeting the demands and challenges for contemporary societies. Weak or inconsistent hand preference may be a risk factor for language delay. The present study examined the role of gender and handedness on language functions in a rural township in Limpopo, South Africa. The study adopted a quasi-experimental design that compared language sub-test functions of the NEPSY-11 comprising of the Phonological Processing; Speed Naming and Comprehension of Instructions Tests. The tests were administered in English on a sample of 120 (60 male and 60 female)primary school children between the ages of 8-12 who participated in the study. Luria’s (1980) functional organization of the brain and Vygotsky’s (1978) theory on language development served as the theoretical framework for this study. Findings indicated that gender and handedness did not significantly play a role on language functions in this study. These findings highlight that language is a complex process and needs to include a range of linguistic abilities and cognitive processes, such as executive functions. The significance of this study is to shed light on the role of gender and handedness as there are theoretical arguments that predict differences in the cognitive differences of gender and left and right-handed children.