Language Competence of 4-Year-Old Monolingual German Children: A Cross-Sectional Analysis

Theoretical Background: Whereas a growing percentage of immigrant children with deficient German language skills in Germany is well documented, the language competence of monolingual German children has been comparatively seldom investigated in the recent years. Objective: The present study scrutinized changes in the language competence of such children in the last decade and the relationship of various sociodemographic factors with competence in the first language. Method: Two samples of 4-year-old monolingual German kindergarten children (n = 698 in 2009 -2012 and n = 732 in 2017-2019) were tested using the validated, standardized language screening "Kindersprachscreening" (KiSS.2). This test assesses speech comprehension, vocabulary, grammar, articulation, and phonological short-term memory (repetition of nonwords and sentences). It differentiates between children needing additional educational and medical assistance in acquiring German. The children's language competence, quantified by total scores of correct answers in KiSS.2 subtests and dichotomized KiSS.2 results (pass/fail, need for educational/medical assistance) as well as some sociodemographic factors documented in questionnaires for parents and kindergarten teachers, were compared by means of Mann-Whitney U- and chi-square tests. Results: The language competence of German children decreased between 2009-2012 and 2017 -2019 according to total scores of correct answers in the KiSS.2 subtests on speech comprehension, vocabulary, grammar, and the repetition of nonwords. No significant differences were found in the subtests on articulation and repetition of sentences. The dichotomized KiSS.2 results did not change significantly. Most children with a "fail" result in KiSS.2 were not identified as such by kindergarten teachers and parents. Various comorbidities such as hearing disorders and a familial predisposition for language impairments were associated with a "fait" result in KiSS.2. Discussion and Conclusion: Between 2017 and 2019, 4-year-old monolingual German children delivered fewer correct answers in most KiSS.2 subtests than their peers between 2009 and 2012. Because the decrease of total scores occurred far above the cut-off values for the dichotomized KISS.2 results, the latter did not change significantly. It is alarming that most children with deficient German language skills were not identified as such both by parents and kindergarten teachers and did not participate in any language courses. Also, often they did not undergo language therapies even in the case of documented comorbidities. The late onset of language acquisition among children or relatives was shown to be one of the most prominent factors associated with the children's deficient German language skills. The study results demonstrate that evidence-based language screening programs - instead of subjective estimations by teachers or parents - are needed for the assessment of children's German language competence.