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

项目摘要/摘要 发展性语言障碍(DLD)儿童表现出语言缺陷 来自相似语言学习环境的未受影响的同龄人。DLD的常规测评方法 获取孩子目前在一种语言中的技能水平；在美国，这样的评估只有英语版本 或者西班牙语。这些方法失败了连续的双语儿童，他们在家里说少数民族语言，而且是 后来接触了英语，因为他们混淆了语言学习能力和先前的语言- 学习体验。迫切需要对语言学习能力进行评估，特别是在 母语不是西班牙语的连续双语儿童。这个项目评估了两种新的方法 顺序双语儿童的语言评估：基于动态评估和加工的研究 评估。动态评估方法为语言教学提供了评估和评估的过程 孩子的反应。基于处理的方法评估可能推动语言学习的潜在技能。这 项目严格检查动态和基于过程的评估的心理测量学属性 一群不同的连续双语儿童进入以英语为基础的学校。我们将招收165名儿童 4岁，10个月至6岁零2个月，在家中说任何非英语语言。第一项研究 时间点将在孩子们进入学年时发生，并包括一个试验性评估电池， 在叙事和语素层面的动态评估，以及语言和非语言加工- 以评估为基础。评估单元将在1个月后重复。目标1建立心理测量学 实验评估电池的性能，包括内部一致性和重测可靠性， 因子结构和同时效度。然后，目标2和3使用纵向设计来检验预测性 有效性。儿童将在两个学年以上接受跟踪调查，每4个月重新评估一次(总计5个月 初始评估和测试-重新测试时间点之后的增长时间点)。在每个增长时间点， 孩子们将完成一份英语语言样本，家长和教师将接受采访，以评估 语言环境以及是否存在对儿童语言的担忧。我们将构建模型 解释儿童外部因素(例如，语言环境，SES)的英语成长，然后决定 实验动态和基于过程的评估单元对这种增长的预测能力如何(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将检查敏感性和特异性 用于预测DLD的初步评估组合。项目结果将证明多个动态 基于评估和处理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。对于数百万说母语其他语言的儿童来说 除英语外，该项目是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.