Variation in the lexical competence of the preschoolers: some associated factors

Abstract

The present work describes the lexical development in children, whose ages range from three to six; these children belong to the Biobío and Metropolitan areas. The sample, 1393 children, is part of four research projects, funded by the National Research Foundation. The TEVI was used twice in the year, at the beginning and the end of the school year.

As a result, it was observed that the great majority did not reach the norm established by the TEVI, that children improved between the two measurements, and that the attendance to some preschool center favored the children’s lexical development. Besides, the mean in boys was significantly higher as compared to girls. Finally, some significant associations were established considering some variables of the children’s families.