Does enhanced conversational recast promote the learning of grammatical constructions in Cantonese-speaking preschool children?

Abstract

Enhanced Conversational Recast (ECR) is an input-based language intervention approach incorporating variability manipulations. Current evidence only reported the efficacy of ECR in teaching English grammatical morphemes. This feasibility study investigated the efficacy of ECR in teaching Cantonese grammatical constructions (i.e. serial verb constructions: SVCs) to typically developing children, using a within-participant design with single baseline and control. Four Cantonese-speaking preschool children aged between 3;08 and 4;02 participated in twelve sessions of ECR training over a four to five-week period. They received 24 recasts with unique verbs and nouns per session. They were tested regularly with picture description probes to monitor their changes in performance. Results showed small to large gains in the use of the trained benefactive SVC in two children with some maintenance effect of learning, yet generalization effect across SVCs could not be confirmed. The findings suggested treatment effects of ECR in one type of SVC, and provided early evidence of the efficacy of ECR in teaching Cantonese grammatical constructions in typically developing children. Future research will be necessary to further evaluate the applicability of ECR intervention in teaching Cantonese grammatical constructions before using it on children with Developmental Language Disorder.