Validating the Use of Percent Grammatical Utterances for Assessing Mandarin-Speaking Children's Grammatical Skill: Evidence from 3-Year-Olds

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Bibliographic Details
Title: Validating the Use of Percent Grammatical Utterances for Assessing Mandarin-Speaking Children's Grammatical Skill: Evidence from 3-Year-Olds
Language: English
Authors: Ling-Yu Guo (ORCID 0000-0002-9143-3383), Ping Lee, Hsin-Jen Hsu (ORCID 0000-0001-6488-1132), Linda Spencer
Source: Journal of Speech, Language, and Hearing Research. 2024 67(4):1173-1185.
Availability: American Speech-Language-Hearing Association. 2200 Research Blvd #250, Rockville, MD 20850. Tel: 301-296-5700; Fax: 301-296-8580; e-mail: slhr@asha.org; Web site: http://jslhr.pubs.asha.org
Peer Reviewed: Y
Page Count: 13
Publication Date: 2024
Document Type: Journal Articles
Reports - Research
Descriptors: Grammar, Mandarin Chinese, Young Children, Error Patterns, Language Impairments, Developmental Disabilities, Pictorial Stimuli, Speech Communication, Preschool Children, Foreign Countries
Geographic Terms: Taiwan
DOI: 10.1044/2024_JSLHR-23-00557
ISSN: 1092-4388
1558-9102
Abstract: Purpose: The study examined the use of percent grammatical utterances (PGUs) for assessing grammatical skills in Mandarin-speaking 3-year-old children. Method: Participants were 30 Mandarin-speaking 3-year-olds with typical development. Language samples were collected in two visits for each child using a picture description task. Children were asked to talk about 16 pictures in response to questions and prompts at each visit. Pictures for the language sample collection were identical across the visits. PGUs were computed, and the grammatical errors that children produced in the task were coded and tallied for error types at each visit. Test--retest reliability, split-half reliability, and concurrent criterion validity of PGUs were evaluated. Results: The mean PGU level was approximately 78% at Visit 1 and 81% at Visit 2, both of which were significantly below the mastery level (i.e., 90%). The correlation coefficient for test-retest reliability of PGU was large (r = 0.70, p <0.01); the correlation coefficient for split-half reliability was medium at Visit 1 (r = 0.47, p < 0.01) and large (r = 0.65, p < 0.01) at Visit 2. In addition, the correlation coefficient for concurrent criterion validity of PGU was medium for both visits(rs [greater than or equal to] 0.35, ps [less than or equal to] 0.03). The ranking and proportion of each error type were similar between the visits. Conclusion: The initial evidence from psychometric properties suggests that PGU computed from the picture description task is a reliable and valid measure for evaluating grammatical skills in Mandarin-speaking 3-year-old children.
Abstractor: As Provided
Entry Date: 2024
Accession Number: EJ1421112
Database: ERIC
Description
Abstract:Purpose: The study examined the use of percent grammatical utterances (PGUs) for assessing grammatical skills in Mandarin-speaking 3-year-old children. Method: Participants were 30 Mandarin-speaking 3-year-olds with typical development. Language samples were collected in two visits for each child using a picture description task. Children were asked to talk about 16 pictures in response to questions and prompts at each visit. Pictures for the language sample collection were identical across the visits. PGUs were computed, and the grammatical errors that children produced in the task were coded and tallied for error types at each visit. Test--retest reliability, split-half reliability, and concurrent criterion validity of PGUs were evaluated. Results: The mean PGU level was approximately 78% at Visit 1 and 81% at Visit 2, both of which were significantly below the mastery level (i.e., 90%). The correlation coefficient for test-retest reliability of PGU was large (r = 0.70, p <0.01); the correlation coefficient for split-half reliability was medium at Visit 1 (r = 0.47, p < 0.01) and large (r = 0.65, p < 0.01) at Visit 2. In addition, the correlation coefficient for concurrent criterion validity of PGU was medium for both visits(rs [greater than or equal to] 0.35, ps [less than or equal to] 0.03). The ranking and proportion of each error type were similar between the visits. Conclusion: The initial evidence from psychometric properties suggests that PGU computed from the picture description task is a reliable and valid measure for evaluating grammatical skills in Mandarin-speaking 3-year-old children.
ISSN:1092-4388
1558-9102
DOI:10.1044/2024_JSLHR-23-00557