Abstract

This study looked at the occupational differences between monolingual and bilingual children in the state of Kentucky. The children were ages 7-12 years old and were divided into three categories: monolingual English-speaking, monolingual Spanish-speaking, and bilingual English and Spanish-speaking. Each child and their parent/guardian was interviewed to collect data on play habits to determine if language was a factor in the play choices. Subjects were selected through convenience sampling over social media and by word-of-mouth. From all possible participants collected, one child from each category was chosen for the interview process.

The process itself consisted of a 50 question child interview on their play habits, a semi-structured, 30-40 minute interview with the parent/guardian of the child, and a 30-minute observation period in which the child was evaluated on their observed play choices and photos were taken of each child’s favorite toys and/or objects. The interviews took place in an environment that was chosen and deemed comfortable by the interviewees.

The study developed into three separate case studies on three children of different ages. The data demonstrated that the older a child was, the fewer the number of activities they participated in but the higher their level of interests in the activities. The bilingual child participated in the highest percentage of activities while the monolingual children participated in a lower percentage of activities discussed in the interviews. The bilingual child demonstrated a greater amount of play exploration and creativity than compared to the monolingual children.

Semester/Year of Award

Fall 12-12-2016

Mentor

Kathy Splinter-Watkins

Mentor Professional Affiliation

Occupational Science and Occupational Therapy

Access Options

Open Access Thesis

Document Type

Bachelor Thesis

Degree Name

Honors Scholars

Degree Level

Bachelor's

Department

Occupational Science and Occupational Therapy

Department Name when Degree Awarded

Occupational Therapy

IRB Approval Number (if applicable)

IRB00002836, DHHS FWA00003332

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