Are there any criteria for my child to take part?

We are looking for Polish-English bilingual children between the ages of 4 and 8, living in the UK, and who have been at primary school for at least a year.

What will happen before the study?

Once you let us know that you would like to take part, we will send you a link to sign a consent form and a questionnaire which will ask you a few questions about your child’s exposure to English and Polish. We will also contact you to schedule the times for our sessions and send you a Teams link for the study.

What will happen during the study?

During the study we will play a short game of Snap! with your child. Your child will be asked to describe some pictures on a set of cards which will appear on the screen (we will all be able to see these pictures on the screen by screen-share). The child and the experimenter will take turns to describe these pictures in Polish and in English. We will also play some other language games, e.g. repeating words or naming pictures. We will video-record each session so that we can see how your child describes the pictures. The session will take about 45 minutes to complete. We will arrange two appointments about two-three weeks apart with you – one in which your child will respond in English and one in which your child will respond in Polish.

Do I have to take part? Can I stop my participation once the project has started?

Participation in this study is completely voluntary and choosing not to take part will not affect you or your child in any way. You and your child can also choose to stop taking part at any time, without giving a reason.

Do I get paid?

You will not get paid for taking part in the study, however, your child will receive a certificate upon completion of the study and you will be entered into a prize draw with a chance to win a book voucher if you wish. 

What will happen to my data?

All data will be immediately de-identified at the time of collection: the data will be assigned an ID number and it will not be possible to link your data back to your personal details. All data files will be stored on a secure password-protected University of Warwick server. Only the researchers directly involved in the study will have access to the video recordings and transcriptions of the data. We will never share your video recordings or personal data, and it will not be possible to link any aspect of the shared data back to any individual participants. We will delete the videos once we have transcribed your child's responses.

I have follow up questions - where can I find out more about the study?

If you have questions or would like more information about the study and how it applies to your child, please get in touch and we will be happy to answer them. Please email Marta at bilingolab@warwick.ac.uk. You can also find us on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/Bilingolab).

How do I sign up?

You can sign up by providing your details on our Contact Us page. Or you can email us at: bilingolab@warwick.ac.uk