Sentence Processing in Indonesian-English Bilingual Children with and without Language Impairment

Angkita Wasito Kirana; David Segoh; Masitha Achmad Syukri; Sidarta Prassetyo

Sentence Processing in Indonesian-English Bilingual Children with and without Language Impairment

Angkita Wasito Kirana, David Segoh, Masitha Achmad Syukri, Sidarta Prassetyo

Abstract

Reading comprehension is shaped by syntactic complexity, working memory, and linguistic proficiency, especially in bilingual students with language disorders. This study examines how bilingualism and SLI influence sentence processing in syntactically similar languages, focusing on the effects of language features, impairment status, and syntactic complexity on comprehension accuracy, reading speed (RS), recall speed (RcS), and fixation duration (FD). Forty-four balanced bilingual elementary students (22 SLI, 22 typically developing) completed silent, self-paced sentence reading tasks in Indonesian and English. Comprehension accuracy, reading speed, recall speed, and fixation duration were analyzed via ANCOVA and MANOVA, controlling for sentence length, number of syllables, number of modifiers, and the number of propositions. Results showed that SLI status significantly impaired all reading performance indicators, regardless of language. Language type had no effect on accuracy or reading speed, but did affect recall speed, especially in English, reflecting working memory load. Syntactic complexity—particularly the number of modifiers and propositions—negatively impacted comprehension accuracy and recall, disproportionately affecting SLI students. Fixation duration patterns revealed that SLI students allocated more visual attention in English. The Group effect outweighed Language and Group × Language interaction, suggesting that broad cognitive-linguistic deficits contribute more to comprehension difficulties than language-specific features. Instructional strategies should target content chunking and memory scaffolds across both languages.

Keywords

bilingualism; inclusive education; reading comprehension; SLI; syntactic complexity

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