Contributions of verbal and executive processes on cognitive and academic performance in monolingual and bilingual elementary students

语言能力和执行功能对小学生问题解决能力和学业成绩均有预测作用。这意味着双语儿童的情况很复杂：一方面，有证据表明双语儿童在EF方面具有优势。另一方面，双语儿童在两种语言能力（例如，每种语言的词汇量）和学术成就。基于这种研究状态，拟议的项目有两个目标：在项目A部分，我们将调查语言状态（单语与双语），语言能力和EF之间的关系，以及它们对单语和双语儿童学习成绩的独特和共同贡献。特别是，我们将研究的建议，具有良好的语言能力的儿童（其中单语儿童可以被认为是超过双语儿童相比）可能能够补偿，至少部分，在EF的劣势。此外，先前的研究表明，语言能力对学习成绩的贡献可能部分来自于这样一个事实，即具有非语言能力的儿童可能能够通过使用口头自我指示来提高他们在高EF要求的任务（如解决问题的任务和许多学习任务）中的表现。在项目部分B中，我们将研究语言能力、口头自我指示的使用和高EF要求任务中的表现之间的关系。本文将从质和量两个方面对自我指示进行分析。此外，我们将调查是否在使用口头自我指示的培训可能会提高儿童的表现，在高EF要求的任务。

Both language abilities and executive functions (EF) predict problem solving abilities and academic performance in elementary students. This implies a complex situation with regard to bilingual children: On the one hand, there is evidence for a bilingual advantage with regard to EF. On the other hand, bilingual children are frequently outperformed by their monolingual peers with regard to both language abilities (e.g., vocabulary in each language) and academic success. Based on this state of research, the proposed project has two aims: In project part A, we will investigate the relationships between language status (monolingual versus bilingual), language abilities, and EF, as well as their distinct and joint contributions to academic performance in monolingual and bilingual children. In particular, we will examine the suggestion that children with good language abilities (among whom monolingual children can be considered to be overrepresented as compared to bilingual children) might be able to compensate, at least partially, for disadvantages in EF. Further, previous research suggests that the contribution of language abilities to academic performance might in part result from the fact that children with advantaged language abilities might be able to increase their performance in tasks with high EF demands (such as problem solving tasks and many academic tasks) by using verbal self-instructions. In project part B, we will examine relationships between language abilities, use of verbal self-instructions, and performance in tasks with high EF demands. Both quality and quantity of verbal self-instructions will be analyzed. Furthermore, we will investigate whether a training in using verbal self-instructions might improve children's performance in tasks with high EF demands.