Bilingual Children's Self-Assessment of Spanish and English Proficiency and Bilingual Experiences: A Longitudinal Study

PURPOSE: This study explored the changes in Spanish-English bilingual children's self-reports of proficiency over time. METHOD: Multilevel modeling, specifically growth analyses, was conducted using longitudinal data drawn from the Houston Questionnaire, a self-report measure of bilingual children's proficiency and experience. At the onset of the study, the sample included 113 Spanish-English bilingual children aged 4-8 years. The association of bilingual experiences and children's gender as predictors was each examined to determine its effect on self-reports of proficiency. RESULTS: The analyses revealed a statistically significant decrease in bilingual children's self-reported Spanish proficiency over time as age increased. For English, girls demonstrated statistically significantly higher self-reports of proficiency compared with boys. Age was only a significant predictor of Spanish self-reports of proficiency when gender was included in the model. Additionally, bilingual experiences were associated with changes in self-reports of Spanish (decreased Spanish proficiency when experiences in Spanish were reported to be low) and English (increased English proficiency when English experiences were reported to be high). CONCLUSIONS: Bilingual children's Spanish self-reports of proficiency decreased over time. Additionally, bilingual experiences seem to impact bilingual children's self-reports of proficiency. Insights into language proficiency and experiences may aid in improving assessment procedures for speech-language pathologists. Future research is needed to explore other bilingual populations and factors contributing to changes in self-reported proficiency. SUPPLEMENTAL MATERIAL: https://doi.org/10.23641/asha.34717089.