Upon returning to the United States, her parents worried she would have trouble speaking and understanding English when it was time for her to attend school. So when Grote was about 6 years old, they stopped talking to her in other languages. Now, at 28, she still speaks some Farsi, but her ability to speak German is gone.
Grote understands her parents did what they thought was best for her at the time. Today, as a UC Merced doctoral candidate researching the cognitive benefits of bilingualism in children, she still encounters that mindset.
"That mentality has not changed in 25 years," said Grote, a researcher in the cognitive development lab of Professor Michelle M. Chouinard. "Many non-native-speaking parents believe that children will pick up English faster if they stop speaking to them in their native language. It's a horrible myth."
Grote's personal experience, combined with a love of working with children, led her to this field. Her research interests are in the realms of bilingualism, bilingual education, early cognitive development and cross-cultural differences.
"People forget how much you can learn from children," Grote said. "They force you to think about the world in a different way."
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