What is the thirty million word gap?

When extrapolated to the words heard by a child within the first four years of their life these results reveal a 30 million word difference. That is, a child from a high-income family will experience 30 million more words within the first four years of life than a child from a low-income family.

What did the research for the 30 million word gap suggest?

The public service campaigns are the legacy of a well-known study called Meaningful Differences in the Everyday Experience of Young American Children—more commonly known as the “30 Million Word Gap” study—which concluded that the first three years of a child’s life are critical to advancing their language development …

Who does the 30 million word gap effect?

At your next professional development session, conference, or perhaps on social media, mention the famous “30-million-word gap” study, which demonstrated that low-income children hear far less spoken language before their first day of school than their affluent peers, setting in motion dramatic differences in …

What is the 30 million word gap what caused it why is it important to understand?

A 1995 study found that by the age of three, children in low-income homes knew 30 million less words that children raised in upper-class homes. They found that this word gap was due to the fact that children in lower-income homes were not spoken to as often as children in high-income homes.

What is the word gap theory?

A 1995 study which suggested that kids from richer families are exposed to more spoken words than those from poorer families has long been the subject of controversy.

What is the word gap argument?

The word gap argument advocates for getting poor parents and teachers of poor children to speak more words to babies and young children so that they will be academically successful.

Why is the word gap important?

The “Word Gap” has come to symbolize the gulf that can separate very young children who have rich opportunities for positive early learning experiences from those who do not.

Why does the word gap matter?

The word gap has a significant impact on a child’s academic potential. Almost all primary school teachers surveyed by OUP felt that the word gap resulted in weaker comprehension skills and slower than expected progress in reading and writing.

Why does the word gap exist?

What is the word gap? This idea came from a study done in the 1990s by two psychologists, Betty Hart and Todd Risley, where language data was collected on 42 families of low, middle, and upper-socioeconomic levels. The study arguably showed that there was a 30 million word gap between upper- and lower-class families.

What does the term word gap mean?

New Word Suggestion. the difference in the total number of words spoken to children of rich and poor families by the age of three.

Is the word gap real?

The term 30-million-word gap (often shortened to just word gap) was originally coined by Betty Hart and Todd R. Risley in their book Meaningful Differences in the Everyday Experience of Young American Children, and subsequently reprinted in the article “The Early Catastrophe: The 30 Million Word Gap by Age 3”.

Why closing the word gap matters Oxford?

In schools, it underpins progress, impacts on attainment throughout primary and secondary years, affects self-esteem and behaviour and plays a huge role in a child’s future life chances. Without enough language – a word gap – a child is seriously limited in their enjoyment of school and success beyond.

What is the 30 million word gap by age 3?

The Early Catastrophe: The 30 Million Word Gap by Age 3. Hart, Betty. By age 3, children from privileged families have heard 30 million more words than children from underprivileged families. Longitudinal data on 42 families examined what accounted for enormous differences in rates of vocabulary growth.

Can a language rich family bridge the 30 million word gap?

However, regardless of income, the study showed that children from home environments that were “language rich” could bridge the 30 million word gap, and parents could give them the best start in life by talking and interacting with them more.

Is there a 30 million word gap between low-income and high-in poverty children?

In fact, a 2003 study called the 30 million word gap, reported children from lower-income families hear 30 million fewer words than children from higher-income families by the time they are three years old. 1

What is the’word gap’?

The “word gap” drove expanded federal investments in Head Start and Early Head Start. Hart and Risley’s work inspired early intervention programs, including the citywide effort Providence Talks in Rhode Island, the Boston-based Reach Out and Read, and the Clinton Foundation’s Too Small To Fail.