Language Competence and Social Preference in Childhood

Abstract

Abstract. Language competence facilitates making contact with others, interpreting others’ behavior, and communicating one’s own needs. However, evidence on the relation between language competence and social preference, that is, the degree to which someone is accepted or rejected by the peer group, is mixed. The scope of the current study was to examine this relation by conducting a meta-analysis. We included studies published in English, without any restrictions on the form or year of publication. Results of 42 studies and 49 independent samples of 7,077 children (mean age = 6.0 years, SD = 1.9; range: 3.0–11.0 years) revealed a significant relation between oral language competence and social preference, with an effect size of r = .25. Gender, language modality, and methodological characteristics were tested as possible moderators but did not explain variation between studies. Age was a significant moderator, with language competence more important for younger than for older children in gaining social acceptance.

Cardiac vagal regulation in infancy predicts executive function and social competence in preschool: Indirect effects through language

“…Expressive language is itself a core element of SC, as it is the process by which children initiate contact, participate in interactions, and communicate their needs to others (Gallagher, 1993). Indeed, children with larger expressive vocabularies have been viewed more positively by peers (Naerland, 2011;Troesch, Keller, & Grob, 2016). However, in addition to producing words, to be socially competent, children may need to consider others' perspectives when interacting (Fink, Begeer, Hunt, & de Rosnay, 2014;Mundy & Acra, 2006).…”

Why Do Children Become Rejected by Their Peers? A Review of Studies into the Relationship Between Oral Communicative Competence and Sociometric Status in Childhood

“…Building on empirical research and the work of Vygotsky, it seems reasonable to assume a relation between children's language competence and self-regulatory and communicative behavior and, consequently, their position within the peer group. Support for this conjecture was derived from a meta-analysis of the relation between language competence (the ability to understand and/or produce linguistic utterances) and social preference (the degree to which one is accepted or rejected by peers; (Troesch et al 2016)). Results of 42 studies indicated a positive relation between the two variables with a mean effect size of r = .25 (a medium effect according to (Cohen 1988)).…”

“…Although the meta-analysis of Troesch et al (Troesch et al 2016) pointed to a significant relation between language competence and social preference, a large part of the studies that were included in their meta-analysis focused merely on receptive language skills (e.g., vocabulary knowledge). This is in line with a broader tendency in this research area to concentrate primarily on aspects of language competence that are relatively easy to measure (Braza et al 2009;Menting et al 2011).…”

“…Compared with early childhood, middle childhood (when children are between 6 and 12 years) is characterized by an increase in the complexity of peer relationships. It is therefore more likely that during this period, an entire web of interrelated factors is of influence on the extent to which children are liked or disliked by peers (Troesch et al 2016). Moreover, when children have grown older, most of them have acquired the basic principles of successful communication, so there is less variability in the level of oral communicative competence between older children ((Hay et al 2004;Parker et al 2006); also see (Troesch et al 2016)).…”

“…It is therefore more likely that during this period, an entire web of interrelated factors is of influence on the extent to which children are liked or disliked by peers (Troesch et al 2016). Moreover, when children have grown older, most of them have acquired the basic principles of successful communication, so there is less variability in the level of oral communicative competence between older children ((Hay et al 2004;Parker et al 2006); also see (Troesch et al 2016)). These developments could explain why the relation between language competence and social preference has been found to be more pronounced in younger children than in older children (Troesch et al 2016).…”