Factors shaping children’s language skills in the first year following the Covid-19 pandemic

Research suggests that pandemic-related disruptions have significantly impacted the language development of young children. The main aims of this UK-based study were to explore the language skills of children in Reception and Key Stage 1 (ages 4 years to 7 years) in the 2021/2022 academic year, and investigate which individual, family, and school factors were related to language outcomes at the end of the summer term (May to July). Participants were assessed using the LanguageScreen once in the spring term (Jan to April 2022) and once in summer (May to July 2022). Data regarding the children’s home learning environment and parental well-being were collected once through an online questionnaire. Demographic information about the children and their schools was obtained from a government database. Results showed that most children achieved LanguageScreen scores in the expected range at both timepoints. Further analyses revealed that children’s scores in the summer were mainly related to child-level factors; only their total scores and expressive vocabulary scores were also predicted by school factors. None of the family factors investigated were significant predictors. These results suggest that while most children have language skills expected for their age, some children struggle more due to individual factors and environmental characteristics. These groups of children may require additional support in developing their language skills in a post-pandemic world.