Effects of Banking Time on Child Talk of Preschool Low-Rate Talkers
Perez, Mary Antoinette
:
2023
Abstract
Each individual child varies in their developmental progression. Developmental milestones can be used to determine if a child needs additional support to learn language. Previous studies have demonstrated the effectiveness of Banking Time (BT) as an approach to improve children’s classroom behaviors and teacher-child relationships. However, no study has evaluated the effect of BT on language development. The rationale for examining the impact of BT on language is that adult-child relationships are the context in which children learn language. To address the gaps in the research, the impact of BT on child talk was examined on two target participants who were at risk for social or linguistic delay but had not been diagnosed with any disability nor in need of an assessment. An A-B-A-B withdrawal designed was used to examine impact of BT strategies on the rate of child talk. Findings show that despite mixed effects on child talk, BT resulted in positive teacher-child relationships as well as child excitement and confidence in play. Finally, BT strategies were seen as a socially valid way to increase talk according to early childhood teachers who had been in the field for at least two years.