scholarly journals Gauging the impact of literacy and educational background on receptive vocabulary test scores

2021 ◽  
pp. 026553222110490
Author(s):  
Bart Deygers ◽  
Marieke Vanbuel

The Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test (PPVT) is a widely used test of receptive vocabulary, but no researchers to date have examined the performance of low-educated, low-literate L2 adults, or compared these individuals’ performances to their more highly educated peers. In this study, we used many-facet Rasch analysis and mixed-effects linear regression to determine the impact of educational background and other demographic variables on PPVT test performance. The analyses rely on the performance data of 1014 adult learners of Dutch as a second language on the Dutch version of the PPVT (PPVT-III-NL). The results show that a substantial proportion of score variance can be attributed to educational background variables and to the educational tracks the participants followed. These tracks, which cater to the needs of different L2 learner profiles, appear to exacerbate rather than mediate any performance differences. Although this study provides evidence of performance differences and differential item functioning resulting from linguistic, demographic, and educational variables, it offers no data to invalidate the use of the PPVT on low-educated L2 adults.

2018 ◽  
Vol 18 (3) ◽  
pp. 665-696 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rafael Matielo ◽  
Roberta Pires de Oliveira ◽  
Luciane Baretta

ABSTRACT This study investigates the impact of intralingual and interlingual subtitles on Brazilian English as a Foreign Language (EFL) learners as a result of their processing of a North-American sitcom. More specifically, it examines whether subtitling interacts with one’s individual differences, working memory (WM) as the case in point. Thirty-six intermediate-level EFL learners were evenly divided into two experimental groups (intralingual subtitles and interlingual subtitles) and one control group (no subtitles). Participants’ performance was measured based on an L2 video comprehension test and an L2 vocabulary test. Participants’ performance was correlated with their scores on two WM tests. The results obtained revealed that both participants’ L2 video comprehension, as well as their L2 vocabulary test performance, did not significantly interact with their WM capacity under any of the experimental conditions. These results are discussed in light of the possible processing mechanisms employed by the participants that may account for the lack of statistically significant correlations found.


1997 ◽  
Vol 81 (3_suppl) ◽  
pp. 1232-1234 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bruno Facon ◽  
Therese Facon-Bollengier

The Test de Vocabulaire en Images (the French version of the Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test) and the Columbia Mental Maturity Scale were administered to 44 persons with mental retardation who were aged 6.8 yr. to 18.2 yr. Analysis indicated a significant influence of chronological age on the Test de Vocabulaire en Images Mental Age. This influence of chronological age probably explains why receptive vocabulary tests consistently overestimate the IQ of persons with mental retardation.


2020 ◽  
Vol 42 (5) ◽  
pp. 933-957
Author(s):  
Bart Deygers

AbstractElicited imitation (EI) is a much-used measurement instrument in applied linguistics, and it is considered a reliable and quick assessment of holistic speaking ability and implicit grammar knowledge. To date, however, EI research has overwhelmingly relied on highly educated participants. Only a few small-scale EI studies in applied linguistics have considered low-literate learners. Using Item Response Theory (IRT) and inferential parametric and nonparametric statistics, this study examined the EI performance of 113 L2 learners of Dutch with diverging educational backgrounds. All participants were enrolled in A1 and A2 Dutch L2 courses. Additionally, this study examined to what extent EI performances align with standardized tests of speaking and receptive vocabulary. The results indicate that EI can be used with both highly literate and low-educated participants, who will—however—be outperformed by higher educated learners. Especially the repetition of sentences containing pseudowords appears to result in substantial performance differences between the two groups.


2021 ◽  
Vol 15 (2) ◽  
pp. 173-185
Author(s):  
Ricardo Nitrini ◽  
Sonia Maria Dozzi Bucki ◽  
Mônica Sanches Yassuda ◽  
Helenice Charchat Fichman ◽  
Paulo Caramelli

ABSTRACT. Diagnosis of cognitive impairment is usually difficult in low-educated individuals. The Brief Cognitive Screening Battery (BCSB) was designed as a screening tool for the evaluation of cognitive impairment in low-educated individuals, but it may also be used for evaluating individuals with high educational level. Objectives: To perform a narrative review analyzing the origin of the BCSB, to report all studies that have used the Figure Memory Test (FMT) of the BCSB, and to demonstrate that it is a useful battery for regions where populations have heterogeneous educational background. Methods: We performed a search in PubMed, SciELO, and LILACS using the terms “Brief Cognitive Screening Battery” and “Brief Cognitive Battery”. Results: We obtained 49 papers from PubMed, 32 from SciELO, and 28 from LILACS. After the exclusion of duplicate papers, 54 publications were obtained; five more studies were included from previous knowledge of the authors. Twenty-four papers were related to the impact of education on performance, diagnostic accuracy, cutoff scores and normative studies. The delayed recall of the FMT showed the best accuracy for the diagnosis of dementia with a cutoff score of ≤5 in different education levels. In 35 papers, the FMT of the BCSB was used in clinical studies with different settings, from outpatient memory clinics to epidemiological studies and evaluation of Amazon river basin dwelling individuals, and it was always considered to be easy to apply. Conclusions: The FMT of the BCSB is an easy and short tool for the diagnosis of dementia in populations with heterogeneous educational background.


2017 ◽  
Vol 26 (4) ◽  
pp. 1254-1261 ◽  
Author(s):  
Veena Kallambettu ◽  
Angela N. Burda ◽  
Nicole Wakeman

Purpose This study compared the performance of South Asian and White adults on the Behavioural Assessment of the Dysexecutive Syndrome (BADS; Wilson, Alderman, Burgess, Emslie, & Evans, 1996) and the Functional Assessment of Verbal Reasoning and Executive Strategies (FAVRES; MacDonald, 2005), tests that can be used by speech-language pathologists to assess executive function (EF). Method Twenty South Asian and 20 White participants were administered the BADS and FAVRES. Raw scores were converted to profile scores on the BADS and to standard scores on the FAVRES. Analysis of covariance statistics were calculated to compare EF test performance. Results South Asian and White participants did not demonstrate significant performance differences on the BADS. On the FAVRES, Whites had significantly higher accuracy scores on 2 of the 4 subtests and significantly higher rationale scores on 3 subtests. South Asian adults who completed all of their formal education in India had lower accuracy and rationale scores on 2 of the 4 subtests versus South Asian adults who completed at least some of their formal education in North America. No significant differences occurred on the Time scores for any subtest or on the overall Reasoning score. Conclusions Performance differences on EF tests may exist between South Asian and White adults. Further research is necessary to determine the impact of cultural and linguistic differences on EF test performance in South Asian adults.


2019 ◽  
Vol 40 (2) ◽  
pp. 151-171
Author(s):  
Elma Blom ◽  
Tessel Boerma ◽  
Evelyn Bosma ◽  
Leonie Cornips ◽  
Kirsten van den Heuij ◽  
...  

Various studies have shown that bilingual children score lower than their monolingual peers on standardized receptive vocabulary tests. This study investigates if this effect is moderated by language distance. Dutch receptive vocabulary was tested with the Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test (PPVT). The impact of cross-language distance was examined by comparing bilingual groups with a small (Close; n = 165) and a large between-language distance (Distant; n = 108) with monolingual controls ( n = 39). As a group, the bilinguals scored lower on Dutch receptive vocabulary than the monolinguals. The bilingual Distant group had lower receptive vocabulary outcomes than the bilingual Close and monolingual groups. No difference emerged between the monolinguals and the bilingual Close group. It can be concluded that bilingual children whose languages provide ample opportunities for transfer and sharing knowledge do not have any receptive vocabulary delays. The findings underscore that bilingual children cannot be treated as a homogeneous group and are important for determining which bilingual children are at risk of low vocabulary outcomes.


2002 ◽  
Vol 18 (1) ◽  
pp. 78-84 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eva Ullstadius ◽  
Jan-Eric Gustafsson ◽  
Berit Carlstedt

Summary: Vocabulary tests, part of most test batteries of general intellectual ability, measure both verbal and general ability. Newly developed techniques for confirmatory factor analysis of dichotomous variables make it possible to analyze the influence of different abilities on the performance on each item. In the testing procedure of the Computerized Swedish Enlistment test battery, eight different subtests of a new vocabulary test were given randomly to subsamples of a representative sample of 18-year-old male conscripts (N = 9001). Three central dimensions of a hierarchical model of intellectual abilities, general (G), verbal (Gc'), and spatial ability (Gv') were estimated under different assumptions of the nature of the data. In addition to an ordinary analysis of covariance matrices, assuming linearity of relations, the item variables were treated as categorical variables in the Mplus program. All eight subtests fit the hierarchical model, and the items were found to load about equally on G and Gc'. The results also indicate that if nonlinearity is not taken into account, the G loadings for the easy items are underestimated. These items, moreover, appear to be better measures of G than the difficult ones. The practical utility of the outcome for item selection and the theoretical implications for the question of the origin of verbal ability are discussed.


2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (3) ◽  
pp. 525
Author(s):  
Idawati Idawati

This research was conducted by using a descriptive method with a quantitative approach. The quantitative approach was chosen to be tested theories by examining and measuring variables in the form of relationships, differences, influences, contributions, and the others. The research was carried out by describing the students acquisition data on the new student admission (PPDB) using zoning system based on the academic year 2019-2020 and the student acquisition data on the academic year PPDB 2018-2019 as a comparison. Based on the results of the study, the new students of PPDB using zoning system was considered lower in terms of economic and educational background of parents. There were more parents with less education (elementary & junior high school) in the zoning system than in the rayon system, whereas parents with higher education in the zoning system were fewer than the rayon system.  Likewise, in terms of income, there were more people with the low income in the zoning system than in the rayon system, and those having high income were fewer than in the rayon system. The study showed that the intelligence and the result of National Examination Score (NUN) in the zoning system is lower than in the rayon system. The intelligent level of the students in the zoning system is mostly dominated by the scores under 90-109, while in the rayon system were dominated by the scores above 90-109.  The National Examination Scores (NUN) in the zoning system were evenly distributed from a range of scores 0 to 30, while in the rayon system the scores were dominated by a range of scores 28-30, with the lowest score 24.


2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Emily R Bligh ◽  
Ellie Courtney ◽  
Rebecca Stirling ◽  
Asveny Rajananthanan ◽  
Hibatallah Altaher ◽  
...  

Abstract Background COVID-19 has disrupted medical education in the United Kingdom (UK). The pandemic may result in a long-term disproportionate negative impact to students applying to Medical School from a low-socioeconomic background. In addition, the upsurge in Medical School applications increases the likelihood of stricter University entry criteria over the coming years. There is no current research to determine how widening participation of Medicine to students from low-socioeconomic backgrounds can be improved virtually. The aim of this study is to establish the impact of COVID-19 on students enrolled in UK widening access schemes and the role of virtual student led initiatives in widening participation. Methods A voluntary online survey was distributed to UK Sixth Form students (N = 31) enrolled in a widening access scheme who attended Sheffield Neuroscience Society International Virtual Conference in February 2021. The event was free to attend. The five-domain survey consisted of questions determining demographics, career aspirations, impact of COVID-19, academic skillsets and an educational manipulation check. Results There were 30 pre-conference and 26 post-conference responses. 76.7 % had work experience cancelled due to COVID-19. A total of 36.7 % of participants reported participating in virtual work experience. ‘Observe GP’ and ‘Medic Mentor’ were each specified as attended virtual opportunities in 20 % of answers. Post conference, students felt significantly more confident in applying to Medical School (p = 0.008) and more prepared to undertake a presentation (p = 0.002). Educational manipulation check scores increased significantly (p = 0.003). 100 % of students felt inspired to do further CV building activities. Conclusions COVID-19 has negatively impacted pupils enrolled in UK Medical School widening access schemes. Virtual student led initiatives can instill confidence in delegates from low socio-economic backgrounds, increase their career knowledge and inspire them to take part in further CV building exercises. Both Medical Schools and medical students play a key role in widening participation. This study recommends Medical Schools promote access to virtual events, urge private and state schools to declare offered opportunities and act mindfully when determining student’s academic potential in the context of their socioeconomic and/or educational background.


1980 ◽  
Vol 50 (2) ◽  
pp. 579-582
Author(s):  
Frank H. Farley ◽  
Valerie J. Reynolds

The contribution of individual differences in physiological arousal to intellective assessment in learning disabled children was studied. Arousal was measured by salivary response and intellective function (receptive vocabulary) by the Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test. It was predicted that best performance would be found at intermediate levels of arousal. Peabody scores of learning disabled subjects of high, middle, and low arousal showed a non-significant trend in the predicted direction. Reasons for the lack of significance of this hypothesized trend were proposed and needed research outlined.


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