The Contribution of Vocabulary, Grammar, and Phonological Awareness Across a Continuum of Narrative Ability Levels in Young Children

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-15
Author(s):  
Kiren S. Khan ◽  
Jessica Logan ◽  
Laura M. Justice ◽  
Ryan P. Bowles ◽  
Shayne B. Piasta
Keyword(s):  
Individual Differences ◽  
Quantile Regression ◽  
Phonological Awareness ◽  
Multiple Regression ◽  
Language Skills ◽  
Assessment Protocol ◽  
Significant Variance ◽  
Narrative Skills ◽  
Ability Levels ◽  
Narrative Ability

Purpose Narrative skill represents a higher-level linguistic skill that shows incremental development in the preschool years. During these years, there are considerable individual differences in this skill, with some children being highly skilled narrators (i.e., precocious) relative to peers of their age. In this study, we explored the contribution of three lower-level language skills to a range of narrative abilities, from children performing below expected levels for their age to those performing much higher than the expected levels for their age. We speculated that individual differences in lower-level skills would contribute meaningfully to variability in narrative skills. Method Using a sample of 336 children between 3 and 6 years of age ( M = 4.27 years, SD = 0.65), both multiple regression and quantile regression approaches were used to explore how vocabulary, grammar, and phonological awareness account for variance in children's “narrative ability index” (NAI), an index of how children scored on the Narrative Assessment Protocol–Second Edition relative to the expected performance for their age. Results Multiple regression results indicated that lower-level language skills explained a significant amount of variance (approximately 13%) in children's NAI scores. Quantile regression results indicated that phonological awareness and vocabulary accounted for significant variance in children's NAI scores at lower quantiles. At the median quantile, vocabulary and grammar accounted for significant variance in children's NAI scores. For precocious narrators, only vocabulary accounted for a significant amount of variance in children's NAI scores. Conclusion Results indicate that lower-level language skills work in conjunction to support narrative skills at different ability levels, improving understanding of how lower-level language skills contribute across a spectrum of higher-level linguistic abilities.

Joke telling, humor creation, and humor recall in children with and without hearing loss

2013 ◽  
Vol 26 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Evangeline E. Nwokah ◽  
Sandra E. Burnette ◽  
Kelly N. Graves
Keyword(s):  
Hearing Loss ◽  
Language Skills ◽  
Oral Narrative ◽  
Appropriate Use ◽  
Story Structure ◽  
Narrative Skills ◽  
Use Of Time ◽  
Children With Hearing Loss ◽  
Narrative Ability

AbstractChildren with and without hearing loss were compared on their joke-telling and humor-related oral narrative skills. They were asked to tell a joke, create a funny story, and describe a funny movie they had seen. The ability to use humor in language creatively or in recall, the appropriate use of time reference in verbs, and the sequencing of story schema are advanced language skills for children. The conceptual and language skills of humor could be impacted if children do not hear some of the subtleties of language. Results revealed children with hearing loss used shorter and less complex utterances in jokes. They were significantly more likely to produce knock-knock jokes than other types such as riddles, and the knock-knock jokes were at a pre-joke stage. Children with hearing loss also produced funny stories that were less complex. They scored lower on story structure, total narrative ability, and Applebee's story schema. They were less likely to report bathroom humor as the funny part of a joke, story, or movie. This suggests that some aspects of the development of verbal humor may be impacted by hearing loss even among children mainstreamed in regular schools.

Phonological Awareness and Phonemic Perception in 4-Year-Old Children With Delayed Expressive Phonology Skills

2003 ◽  
Vol 12 (4) ◽  
pp. 463-471 ◽  
Author(s):  
Susan Rvachew ◽  
Alyssa Ohberg ◽  
Meghann Grawburg ◽  
Joan Heyding
Keyword(s):  
Phonological Awareness ◽  
Early Literacy ◽  
Emergent Literacy ◽  
Language Skills ◽  
Receptive Language ◽  
Receptive Vocabulary ◽  
Vocabulary Skills ◽  
Literacy Knowledge ◽  
Age Appropriate ◽  
Expressive Phonology

The purpose of this study was to compare the phonological awareness abilities of 2 groups of 4-year-old children: one with normally developing speech and language skills and the other with moderately or severely delayed expressive phonological skills but age-appropriate receptive vocabulary skills. Each group received tests of articulation, receptive vocabulary, phonemic perception, early literacy, and phonological awareness skills. The groups were matched for receptive language skills, age, socioeconomic status, and emergent literacy knowledge. The children with expressive phonological delays demonstrated significantly poorer phonemic perception and phonological awareness skills than their normally developing peers. The results suggest that preschool children with delayed expressive phonological abilities should be screened for their phonological awareness skills even when their language skills are otherwise normally developing.

Narrative Performance in Verbally Gifted Children

1996 ◽  
Vol 19 (3) ◽  
pp. 276-292 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marion Porath
Keyword(s):  
Conceptual Understanding ◽  
Language Skills ◽  
Gifted Children ◽  
Language Abilities ◽  
Conceptual Structures ◽  
Mental Age ◽  
Narrative Ability ◽  
Narrative Performance ◽  
Plot Structure ◽  
Developmental Analysis

Young, verbally gifted children were compared to chronological- and mental-age controls on a number of variables pertaining to narrative ability. Using a structural-developmental analysis, the gifted children were found to organize their story plots in a way typical of children two years older. Elaborations on the basic plot structure were even more advanced, with gifted children telling stories that were more elaborate than those of their chronological- and mental-age peers. Gifted children also showed considerable advancement on a number of language skills. Conceptual understanding of plot structure appears more related to age than the acquisition of language skills. However, it is what verbally gifted children do with the conceptual structures available to them that distinguishes their narratives. Their story plots indicate elaborate structures and their specific language abilities contribute to the richness and sophistication of their narratives.

Relationship between Rigidity, Self-Esteem, and Attitudes about Computer-Based Information Systems

1984 ◽  
Vol 55 (3) ◽  
pp. 991-998 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dianna L. Stone ◽  
Barbara Kemmerer ◽  
Hal G. Gueutal
Keyword(s):  
Information System ◽  
Information Systems ◽  
Individual Differences ◽  
Field Study ◽  
Multiple Regression ◽  
Self Esteem ◽  
Correlation Analyses ◽  
Computer Based ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Beliefs And Attitudes

Data from a field study were used to assess the relationship between two individual differences variables, (a) rigidity, (b) self-esteem, and beliefs and attitudes toward the introduction of a computer-based information system. Multiple regression and correlation analyses showed that rigidity was negatively related to computer-related beliefs and attitudes. Further, the data indicated that self-esteem was not related to either computer-related beliefs or attitudes. Implications of these results for dealing with resistance to computerization are discussed.

The Efficacy of Phonological Awareness Intervention for Children With Spoken Language Impairment

2000 ◽  
Vol 31 (2) ◽  
pp. 126-141 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gail T. Gillon
Keyword(s):  
Phonological Awareness ◽  
Speech Production ◽  
Language Impairment ◽  
Language Skills ◽  
Reading Development ◽  
Control Program ◽  
Spoken Language ◽  
Language Intervention ◽  
Typically Developing ◽  
Speech And Language

Purpose:This study investigated the efficacy of an integrated phonological awareness intervention approach for children with spoken language impairment (SLI) who demonstrated early reading delay. Ninety-one, 5- to 7-year-old New Zealand children participated in this study: 61 children with SLI and 30 children with typically developing speech and language skills. All of the children with language impairment exhibited expressive phonological difficulties and some also had delayed semantic and syntactic development.Method:The children with SLI participated in either: (a) an integrated phonological awareness program, (b) a more traditional speech-language intervention control program that focused on improving articulation and language skills, or (c) a minimal intervention control program over a 4 1/2-month time period.Results:Effects of the interventions on phonological awareness ability, reading performance, and speech production were examined. The children who received phonological awareness intervention made significantly more gains in their phonological awareness ability and reading development than the children receiving the other types of speech and language intervention. Despite significant delays in phonological awareness prior to training, children who received the phonological awareness intervention reached levels of performance similar to children with typically developing speech and language skills at post-test assessment. The phonological awareness intervention also improved the children's speech articulation.Clinical Implications:The findings suggest that integrated phonological awareness intervention may be an efficient method to improve phonological awareness, speech production, and reading development of children with SLI. Findings are discussed with reference to a speech-literacy link model.

The Facilitative Effects of Diagrams on Scaffolding Knowledge Acquisition and Metacognition in Low Verbal Ability Learners

2001 ◽  
Vol 45 (13) ◽  
pp. 936-940 ◽  
Author(s):  
Haydee M. Cuevas ◽  
Stephen M. Fiore ◽  
Randall L. Oser
Keyword(s):  
Individual Differences ◽  
Knowledge Acquisition ◽  
System Design ◽  
Conceptual Knowledge ◽  
Verbal Ability ◽  
Training System ◽  
Declarative Knowledge ◽  
Instructional Efficiency ◽  
Ability Levels ◽  
Metacognitive Accuracy

This study investigated the differential benefit of diagrams as a learning aid for participants of differing ability levels. Diagrams facilitated the acquisition of conceptual knowledge but had no effect on declarative knowledge acquisition. Additionally, diagrams increased metacognitive accuracy. More importantly, the effect on knowledge acquisition and metacognitive accuracy was found to be strongest for participants with low verbal ability. Finally, incorporating diagrams into the training resulted in improved instructional efficiency (i.e., higher level of performance was achieved with less mental effort). Implications for incorporating findings on individual differences into training system design are discussed.

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