Differences in sentence repetition tasks in studies on bilingual children’s language development: A systematic review

Aims and Objectives: Sentence repetition (SRep) tasks are a popular, valid, and cost-effective method of measuring language development. However, their heterogeneity and flexibility of use and adaptation may impact the obtained results. This may be particularly significant when using SRep tasks to identify language problems in children. Methodology: To bring attention to this issue, we carried out a systematic review of English-language studies using SRep tasks with samples of bilingual children with and without language problems. We report the results of a systematic review according to the 2020 PRISMA guidelines. Data and Analysis: A total of 774 records were screened, resulting in 141 studies subjected to a narrative analysis to characterize the versions of the reported SRep tasks used. Findings: Aside from summarizing broad publication trends regarding SRep tasks in studies on bilingual children, our systematic review found variability in the specific formal characteristics of the SRep tasks as reported in the publications. In particular, task standardization, length, and procedure as well as the use of analog versus digital versions of the SRep task emerged as potentially significant areas of differences. Originality: We offer an overview of how SRep tasks are structured and reported in the literature on bilingual children and language problems, pointing to areas of difference which, unless further examined, may impair conclusions and generalizations. We also offer suggestions on how to improve the transparency and clarity of reporting the methodological details of the SRep tasks. Implications: The systematic review lays out directions of further studies to refine the SRep methodology as applied to bilingual children and identifying language problems. Our findings have the potential to stimulate empirical research into how various characteristics of the SRep task may introduce unwanted variability into the measurement.