Research published last week shows that more children cannot speak well when they start school, and it may be because of Covid-19 and too much time spent on screens.

The research, which was published by the Education Review Office, showed that 80 percent of children at age 5 are developing oral language well, but 20 percent are struggling with it. Teachers of new-entrant classes reported that some children cannot speak in sentences of more than four or five words. These children are not able to communicate their needs and are not used to having conversations. They also have difficulty understanding what teachers say to them.

These problems are particularly common in poorer neighbourhoods. 27 percent of teachers in lower socio-economic communities reported that most children in their new entrant classes are below the expected level of oral language, compared with just 3 percent of new entrant teachers in schools in higher socio-economic communities.

The report said that Covid-19 has had a significant impact. It limited children’s interaction with others, so they had fewer opportunities to speak and develop oral language. Many children did not go to pre-school because of Covid-19, which also limited their learning. 65 percent of new entrant teachers reported that Covid-19 has impacted children’s language development. This finding is similar to other research overseas, such as in the United Kingdom.

Another reason for children’s low oral skills is too much time on screens. This reduces interactions with adults at home, so there are fewer extended conversations between children and their parents and family. They also read books less often, but reading helps children to learn language.

It is interesting to note that the report did not find any significant problems for children who learn more than one language. If children speak another language at home, their English may appear to be below that of other children, but they soon catch up.

Vocabulary

published – in this context, made available to the public

screens – devices such as smartphones, laptops and computers

oral – spoken, not written

new entrant – in New Zealand, new entrants are children who start school, usually at age 5

socio-economic – a combination of social and economic factors 

extended – long, or longer than usual