Yearly Trends in Preschoolers’ Cognitive and Affective Outcomes in a Multimedia-Assisted Theme-Based English and Chinese Learning Program

Long-term analyses of year changes in preschoolers’ cognitive and affective development are limited. This field-based study examined yearly trends in a multimedia-assisted, theme-based English and Chinese program in South Korean daycare centers (2022–2024). Participants included 112, 120, and 124 children aged 3–5 annually. Changes were analyzed for cognitive (vocabulary/sentence comprehension and expression) and affective (learning interest, confidence, and motivation) domains. Group differences based on duration of enrollment (three years vs. less than three years) were examined among five-year-old children. Significant cognitive gains occurred for both languages across all three years. Affective development was significant for both languages in 2022 and 2023; however, in 2024, significant positive changes persisted for English across all subdomains, while for Chinese, only confidence improved. Correlation patterns varied by year and language; notably, English motivation was significantly associated with selected cognitive domains in the third year. Furthermore, group comparisons indicated that children enrolled for three years demonstrated better performance in both English and Chinese than those enrolled for less than three years, with statistically significant differences particularly evident in sentence expression. These findings underscore the value of developmentally appropriate and engaging learning contexts that foster both the cognitive and affective dimensions of early learning.