With PASSI, the initial gap between bilingual and monolingual households was no longer detectable
Scores increased with the program; no improvement was seen with usual instruction. The initial gap was no longer detectable only with the 30-week program.
The key idea
With the program, scores increased and, after 30 weeks, the initial difference between bilingual and monolingual children was no longer detectable; it remained with usual instruction.
The study, in plain language
Before writing words, children can represent what they know with drawings, marks, and symbols. The PASSI program offered practice in this skill at five kindergartens in Tuscany, with 12- or 30-week versions and a usual-instruction comparison. Classes were randomly assigned to the three options.
Scores on representation increased for both bilingual and monolingual children with the program, in both versions. No improvement was detected for either group with usual instruction, which was the smaller group. Bilingual children started lower: that difference was no longer detectable with the 30-week program, but remained with the 12-week program and usual instruction. The authors say it remains to be seen whether the effects last.
What they found
- The program practiced using drawings and symbols to represent information.
- With PASSI, notational-knowledge scores increased among children from bilingual and monolingual households.
- The initial gap was no longer detectable with the longer intervention, but remained with the shorter intervention and usual instruction.
Something to think about
Long before writing, a child can make a mark that means something. If you see the drawings of someone who cannot yet write, ask what they wanted to record.
How they studied it
At five Italian kindergartens, 19 classes with 251 children were randomly assigned to usual instruction or a 12- or 30-week program. Researchers measured before and after how children represented information with drawings and symbols.
What the study cannot show
- Five Italian schools and an outcome focused on the ability to use drawings and symbols to represent information; the article does not establish that all differences are due to bilingualism. Subgroup descriptions should be considered alongside the group-level design.
- The study does not show that bilingualism causes a delay or that one intervention alone changes later school outcomes.
The original study
Efficacy of Two School-Based Interventions on Notational Ability of Bilingual Preschoolers: A Group-Randomized Trial Study
Source under CC BY 4.0. English adaptation and explanation by PaperFlow, with AI assistance. The text has been reorganized for a general audience; it is not the complete paper and does not imply endorsement by its authors.
One study alone does not represent a field's consensus. Educational content does not replace professional advice. Report a possible error.
