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Documentation of Children’s Language Development

A Critical Analysis and Discussion of the Conceptualisation of Language in Widespread Language Assessments

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Documentation in Institutional Contexts of Early Childhood

Abstract

This chapter investigates how documentation of children’s language development is being used as political argument for interventions towards certain target groups that are constructed through the documentation. However, the understanding of language development within widespread language assessments is problematic in many ways. The main part of this chapter will consist of a critical discussion of the conceptualisation of language that is central for the construction of normal or deviant language development. The empirical foundation for the analysis is two documents from a comprehensive Danish research project, which draws on a conceptualisation of language that is widespread within the field of ECEC. A policy ethnography perspective informs the chapter, highlighting and discussing key aspects of the project’s understanding of children’s language and language development, including the project’s identification of linguistic problems and necessary interventions. It is concluded that the project’s conceptualization of language draws on a particular reading-oriented scientific paradigm, which limits language to specific measurable linguistic elements such as vocabulary, and that the documents construct certain groups as being ‘behind’.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    Such as ‘SPELL’ (2012–2015), Center for Child Language and Rambøll Management. Funded by the Danish Council for Strategic Research, the University of Southern Denmark, Gyldendal and Forlaget Torgard. ‛Fart på sproget’ (language with a turbocharger) (2012–2015), Center for Child Language and Rambøll Management. Funded by the National Board of Social Services and co-funded by the University of Southern Denmark. Both these development programs are effect studies using so-called randomized controlled trials to create knowledge.

  2. 2.

    The distinction between ‘Danish’ and ‘non-Western’ has been the subject of much criticism, such as for demonstrating that Western ancestors are a requirement to become Danish, regardless of an individual’s formal citizenship.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Roskilde University, Roskilde, Denmark

    Annegrethe Ahrenkiel

  2. Aarhus University, Kobenhavn, Denmark

    Lars Holm

Authors
  1. Annegrethe Ahrenkiel
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  2. Lars Holm
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Correspondence to Annegrethe Ahrenkiel .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. University of Jyväskylä, Jyväskylä, Finland

    Maarit Alasuutari

  2. Universität Bielefeld, Bielefeld, Germany

    Helga Kelle

  3. Fachhochschule Bielefeld, Bielefeld, Germany

    Helen Knauf

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Ahrenkiel, A., Holm, L. (2020). Documentation of Children’s Language Development. In: Alasuutari, M., Kelle, H., Knauf, H. (eds) Documentation in Institutional Contexts of Early Childhood. Springer VS, Wiesbaden. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-658-28193-9_3

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-658-28193-9_3

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  • Online ISBN: 978-3-658-28193-9

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