Effects of parental intervention on children’s English utterances and behavioral responses in video-based second language learning

Video-based materials are widely used in early second-language education, but young children may have difficulty learning from videos without social support. The present study examined how different forms and amounts of parental intervention during video viewing influenced young children’s English utterances and behavioral responses. A total of 131 Japanese children aged two to three years and their parents participated in the study. Parent–child pairs had limited English proficiency and were assigned to one of four conditions: non-intervention, feedback only, feedback followed by co-viewing, or co-viewing throughout the session. Children watched an English educational video consisting of an input phase and an output phase, and parent and child utterances, children’s positive and negative reactions, and distractions from the video were coded from video recordings. Children in the co-viewing conditions produced more English utterances and showed more positive reactions than those in the non-intervention and feedback-only conditions. However, the group effect on children’s English utterances was no longer significant after controlling for parental utterances and children’s positive reactions. In addition, children’s English utterances increased when parental co-viewing was introduced during the second half of the session. These findings suggest that young children’s English utterances during video-based second-language activities are associated not simply with the form of parental intervention, but with active parent–child engagement during the activity. The results highlight the importance of designing home-based second-language materials that support shared, socially engaging participation between children and caregivers.