Perceptual,Motor,and Verbal Skills of Monolingual and Bilingual Hispanic Children: A Discriminant Analysis

Abstract

A total of 50 monolingual and 50 bilingual preschool children were compared on the motor response subscales of the Cooperative Preschool Inventory (knowledge of body parts, the ability to follow simple instructions or complex directions, general knowledge, quantitative knowledge, and perceptual-motor coordination). The inventory was administered in English. Possible confounding variables of cultural differences, age, socioeconomic status and total ability were controlled. A discriminant analysis followed by univariate F tests indicated monolingual pupils were superior to bilingual pupils in knowledge of body parts, whereas bilingual pupils were superior to monolingual pupils in the ability to follow complex directions and in perceptual-motor coordination.