All narrative microstructure measures increase with age group, but only lexical diversity (NDW) differs between Japanese–English bilingual and English monolingual children¶

Claim · All claims
Evidence · 1 study · associational r2 · q3
Currency · newest study 2026 · checked against its sources 2026-10-20 (automated, 1 of 1 entry) · not reviewed by a person · recheck by 2031: baselines and conditions change

Subclaims¶

Reading the evidence codes

q is the design tier, i the impact, n the sample, and the kind with its r the rigour judged within that kind: what each code means.

This claim: no standardized effect is recorded in observations/ for it yet, so no benchmark reading is possible.

q3 i? Age group significantly affected MLUm, NDW, SI, and fragments in English narratives. → Hayes 2026 q3 i? NDW was the only microstructure measure with a significant language group effect, with monolinguals outperforming bilinguals. → Hayes 2026

Evidence¶

Hayes 2026¶

Hayes, R. L., and Kan, P. F. (2026). Shared and divergent patterns in narrative skills: comparing English monolingual and Japanese–English bilingual children. Frontiers in Psychology. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2026.1747702

q3 · i? · associational · r2

2×2 ANOVAs on MAIN retell narratives from 56 children (28 bilingual, 28 monolingual) tested language group and age group effects on microstructure. The article reports "NDW was significant, F(3, 52) = 8.19, p < 0.001, R2 = 0.32" with both main effects significant; MLUm, SI, and fragments showed significant age effects but no language group effect.

"NDW was significant, F(3, 52) = 8.19, p < 0.001, R2 = 0.32, with Language group, p < 0.01, and Age group, p < 0.001, both being significant, and the interaction between Language and Age group nearing significance, p = 0.06."

Discussion¶

Learner Variables¶

Age and Developmental Stage — predictor: learners who differ on it differ in outcomes

Language × Age interactions show bilingual preschoolers had the lowest MLUm, NDW, and SI scores, while bilingual school-age children produced the most fragments — related
All children retold MAIN episode one with the most complexity and episode two with the least, regardless of age or language group — related
No macrostructure measure differs significantly between bilingual and monolingual children, while age improves story structure, internal state terms, comprehension, and aggregate scores but not structural complexity — related
Bilingual school-age children's microstructure converged with monolinguals', consistent with bilinguals exceeding the ~60% input benchmark for typical development — related
Bilingual children acquire vocabulary and syntax in each language more slowly than monolingual children, yet show cognitive advantages and can match or surpass monolingual peers with support — related
Performance differences based on transcription complexity index the extent to which children internalized lexical representations — related

Page metadata

Field	Value
`type`	`claim`
`id`	`ndw-only-language-group-difference-narrative-microstructure`
`title`	`All narrative microstructure measures increase with age group, but only lexical diversity (NDW) differs between Japanese–English bilingual and English monolingual children`
`description`	`All narrative microstructure measures increase with age group, but only lexical diversity (NDW) differs between Japanese–English bilingual and English monolingual children`
`status`	`review`
`evidence_strength`	`moderate`
`newest_evidence`	`2026`
`source_checked`	`2026-10-20`
`recheck_by`	`2031`
`generated`	by `process:wiki-ingest` on `2026-09-26`
`trust`	unverified — no one has confirmed this page's content
`sources`	1 — `hayes-2026`

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