Reliability and Validity of Dynamic and Processing-based Assessments for Language in Diverse Bilingual School-age Children

项目概要/摘要 发育性语言障碍（DLD）儿童表现出语言缺陷， 来自类似语言学习环境的未受影响的同龄人。DLD的常规评估方法 捕捉孩子目前的一种语言技能水平;在美国，此类评估仅提供英文版 或者西班牙语这些方法失败的顺序双语儿童，谁说少数民族语言在家里， 后来接触英语，因为他们混淆了语言学习能力与先前的语言- 学习经验。对语言学习能力进行指数化的评估是非常必要的，特别是对 家庭语言不是西班牙语的连续双语儿童。该项目评估了两种新颖的方法 序贯双语儿童的语言评估：动态评估和基于加工的 考核动态评价方法是在评价过程中提供语言教学， 孩子的回答。基于处理的方法评估可能推动语言学习的基本技能。这 该项目严格审查了动态和基于过程的评估的心理测量特性， 一群不同的连续双语儿童进入以英语为基础的学校。我们将招募165名儿童 年龄在4岁10个月至6岁2个月，在家中讲任何非英语语言。第一项研究 时间点将发生在儿童进入学年，并包括一个实验性的评估电池， 在叙事和语素水平以及语言和非语言处理方面的动态评估- 基于评估。将在1个月后重复评估组合。目标1建立心理测量 实验评估组合的特性，包括内部一致性和重测信度， 因素结构和并发效度。目标2和3然后使用纵向设计来检查预测 效度儿童将在两个学年内接受随访，每4个月重新评估一次（共5个月）。 初始评估后的生长时间点和重测时间点）。在每个生长时间点， 孩子们将完成一个英语语言样本，家长和教师将接受采访，以评估 语言环境和对儿童语言的关注。我们将构建模型， 英语增长，占儿童外部因素（例如，语言环境，SES），然后确定 实验动态和基于处理的评估组合对这种增长的预测效果如何（目标2）。我们 然后，将根据英语发育不良和 家长或老师对语言发展的关注。目标3将检查灵敏度和特异性 用于预测DLD的初始评估组合。项目结果将表明， 评估和基于过程的评估工具可以可靠有效地测量语言学习能力 在不同的语言学习环境中。对于数百万讲母语的儿童来说， 除了英语之外，这个项目代表了验证语言评估工具的关键一步。

Project Summary/Abstract Children with developmental language disorder (DLD) demonstrate deficits in language compared to unaffected peers from similar language-learning environments. Conventional assessment methods for DLD capture a child’s current skill level in one language; in the U.S., such assessments are available only in English or Spanish. These methods fail sequential bilingual children, who speak a minority language at home and are subsequently exposed to English, because they confound language-learning ability with prior language- learning experience. Assessments that index language-learning ability are sorely needed, especially for sequential bilingual children whose home language is not Spanish. This project evaluates two novel approaches to language assessment for sequential bilingual children: dynamic assessment and processing-based assessment. Dynamic assessment methods offer language teaching during the assessment and evaluate the child’s response. Processing-based methods assess underlying skills that may drive language learning. This project rigorously examines the psychometric properties of dynamic and processing-based assessments within a diverse group of sequential bilingual children entering English-based schooling. We will recruit 165 children aged 4 years, 10 months to 6 years, 2 months who speak any non-English language at home. The first study timepoint will occur as children enter the school year and include an experimental assessment battery with dynamic assessments at the narrative and morpheme levels and both linguistic and non-linguistic processing- based assessments. The assessment battery will be repeated 1 month later. Aim 1 establishes psychometric properties of the experimental assessment battery, including internal consistency and test-retest reliability, factor structure, and concurrent validity. Aims 2 and 3 then use a longitudinal design to examine predictive validity. Children will be followed over two academic years, with re-assessment every 4 months (totaling 5 growth timepoints following the initial assessment and test-retest timepoint). At each growth timepoint, children will complete an English language sample and parents and teachers will be interviewed to assess the language environment and presence of concerns regarding the child’s language. We will construct models of English growth that account for child-external factors (e.g., language environment, SES) and then determine how well the experimental dynamic and processing-based assessment battery predicts this growth (Aim 2). We will then identify a group of children at high risk of DLD based on the combination of poor English growth and parent or teacher concern regarding language development. Aim 3 will examine the sensitivity and specificity of the initial assessment battery for predicting DLD. Project results will demonstrate whether multiple dynamic assessment and processing-based assessment tools can reliably and validly measure language-learning ability across variable language-learning environments. For millions of children who speak home languages other than English, this project represents a critical step in validating language assessment tools.