Psychometric Properties of the English–Spanish Vocabulary Inventory in Toddlers With and Without Early Language Delay

Purpose: Despite the increasing population of dual language learners (DLLs) in the United States, vocabulary measures for young DLLs have largely relied on instruments developed for monolinguals. The multistudy project reports on the psychometric properties of the English–Spanish Vocabulary Inventory (ESVI), which was designed to capture unique cross-language measures of lexical knowledge that are critical for assessing DLLs' vocabulary, including translation equivalents (whether the child knows the words for the same concept in each language), total vocabulary (the number of words known across both languages), and conceptual vocabulary (the number of words known that represent unique concepts in either language). Method: Three studies included 87 Spanish–English DLLs ( M age = 26.58 months, SD = 2.86 months) with and without language delay from two geographic regions. Multiple measures (e.g., caregiver report, observation, behavioral tasks, and standardized assessments) determined content validity, construct validity, social validity, and criterion validity of the ESVI. Results: Monolingual instruments used in bilingual contexts significantly undercounted lexical knowledge as measured on the ESVI. Scores on the ESVI were related to performance on other measures of communication, indicating acceptable content, construct, and criterion validity. Social validity ratings were similarly positive. ESVI scores were also associated with suspected language delay. Conclusions: These studies provide initial evidence of the adequacy of the ESVI for use in research and clinical contexts with young children learning English and Spanish (with or without a language delay). Developing tools such as the ESVI promotes culturally and linguistically responsive practices that support accurate assessment of DLLs' lexical development. Supplemental Material https://doi.org/10.23641/asha.17704391

Teacher-Implemented Self-Regulated Strategy Development Instruction for Story Writing with Year Two Students in New Zealand

<p>Writing is a complex skill and many students struggle to learn to write. Self-Regulated Strategy Development (SRSD) for writing is an intervention strategy that can increase students’ writing performance. However, there is limited research on the use of this intervention with younger primary-school students and most of the existing research has been implemented by researchers or research assistants, rather than by actual classrooms teachers, which therefore limits the ecological validity of the research. The two studies included in this thesis investigated teacher-implemented SRSD writing instruction. Study 1 evaluated a 5-week intervention programme consisting of 19 lessons. Study 2 evaluated a 17-week intervention with 61 lessons. Studies 1 and 2 both used a mixed-methods design to investigate the effectiveness and social validity of the teacher-implemented Self-Regulated Strategy Development (SRSD) program on the story-writing performance with Year 2 students (6- to -7-year-old children) in New Zealand. In the quantitative strand, I conducted a quasi-experiment in which students either received SRSD writing instruction or their regular writing instruction. I collected student writing samples before and after the intervention and teachers completed a questionnaire on the social validity of the intervention. A mixed-model ANOVA with SRSD instruction as the between-subjects variable and time as the within-subjects variable indicated that students in the treatment condition had larger improvements relative to students in the comparison condition on measures of holistic quality, number and quality of story elements, and length of composition. In the qualitative strand, I conducted interviews with the classroom teachers to ascertain their perceptions of intervention. Results suggested that the intervention was beneficial for the students. In addition, teachers perceived the intervention as appropriate and reported that they enjoyed implementing the intervention. These results suggest that teacher-implemented SRSD interventions can be effective at improving early primary students’ writing performance and is socially valid for use by teachers in Year 2 classroom settings.</p>

Teacher-Implemented Self-Regulated Strategy Development Instruction for Story Writing with Year Two Students in New Zealand

<p>Writing is a complex skill and many students struggle to learn to write. Self-Regulated Strategy Development (SRSD) for writing is an intervention strategy that can increase students’ writing performance. However, there is limited research on the use of this intervention with younger primary-school students and most of the existing research has been implemented by researchers or research assistants, rather than by actual classrooms teachers, which therefore limits the ecological validity of the research. The two studies included in this thesis investigated teacher-implemented SRSD writing instruction. Study 1 evaluated a 5-week intervention programme consisting of 19 lessons. Study 2 evaluated a 17-week intervention with 61 lessons. Studies 1 and 2 both used a mixed-methods design to investigate the effectiveness and social validity of the teacher-implemented Self-Regulated Strategy Development (SRSD) program on the story-writing performance with Year 2 students (6- to -7-year-old children) in New Zealand. In the quantitative strand, I conducted a quasi-experiment in which students either received SRSD writing instruction or their regular writing instruction. I collected student writing samples before and after the intervention and teachers completed a questionnaire on the social validity of the intervention. A mixed-model ANOVA with SRSD instruction as the between-subjects variable and time as the within-subjects variable indicated that students in the treatment condition had larger improvements relative to students in the comparison condition on measures of holistic quality, number and quality of story elements, and length of composition. In the qualitative strand, I conducted interviews with the classroom teachers to ascertain their perceptions of intervention. Results suggested that the intervention was beneficial for the students. In addition, teachers perceived the intervention as appropriate and reported that they enjoyed implementing the intervention. These results suggest that teacher-implemented SRSD interventions can be effective at improving early primary students’ writing performance and is socially valid for use by teachers in Year 2 classroom settings.</p>

Assessing the social validity of a brief dietary survey for Sri Lankan adults with a focus on gender: a qualitative study

Background As the World Health Organization urges countries to strengthen their noncommunicable disease monitoring and surveillance activities, setting-specific innovations are emerging. Diet – a key, modifiable risk factor for chronic diseases – is particularly challenging to capture reliably. By socially validating self-report dietary survey tools, we may be able to increase the accuracy and representativeness of data for improved population health outcomes. The purpose of this study was to explore the factors that impact Sri Lankan Brief Dietary Survey (a newly developed tool) and 24-h Dietary Recall participation, engagement, and social validity among Sri Lankan adults. Methods We conducted semi-structured interviews with 93 participants (61 women and 32 men) in three Sri Lankan districts (Colombo, Kalutara, and Trincomalee). Interview data were analysed thematically and are presented as non-hierarchical thematic networks. Results Participants identified a number of factors that influenced their survey participation and engagement. These included the time of day interviews occur, recall ease, level of commitment required, perceived survey value, emotional response to surveys, and interviewer positionality. Many of these factors were gendered, however, both female and male participants expressed a preference for engaging with socially valid research that they felt justified their personal investment in data collection. When explicitly asked to share ideas about how to improve the surveys, many participants opted not to provide suggestions as they felt they lacked the appropriate expertise. Conclusions Our findings have implications for the accuracy and equity of dietary surveillance activities, and ultimately the appropriateness and effectiveness of programmes and policies informed by these data. Only through understanding how and why the target population engages with dietary research can we develop socially valid methods that assess and address the dietary risks of individuals and groups that are underrepresented by current conventions.

Comparing acquisition, preference, maintenance, and social validity of manual sign, picture exchange, and speech-generating devices as AAC options for children with developmental disabilities

<p>Background: Communication deficit is a defining characteristic of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and other developmental delays/disabilities (DD). In many cases the degree of communication impairment is severe. For example, approximately 25% of children diagnosed with ASD fail to develop sufficient speech to meet their everyday communication needs. In the absence of speech, these children are often taught to use augmentative and alternative communication (AAC). Three main AAC options have been taught to children with DD. These are (a) manual sign (MS), (b) picture exchange systems (PE), in which the child exchanges a picture card to communicate, and (c) speech-generating device (SGD). Debate persists in the literature as to which of these three options is best suited to address the communication intervention needs of children with DD. With the rapid developments in technology, subsequently, more high-tech devices are being introduced to the field of AAC. Studies have compared these three AAC options, but the literature has not yet compared these three options in terms of long-term maintenance of communication skills and social validity of the AAC systems. Objective: The studies in this thesis focused on (a) comparing acquisition and maintenance of a requesting skill that was taught with each of the three AAC options (MS, PE, and SGD), (b) assessing the participant’s preference of using each of the three AAC options, and (c) assessing stakeholders’ perceptions of each AAC option in terms of perceived (a) intelligibility, (b) ease of acquisition, (c) effectiveness/acceptability, and d) preference. Method: In Study 1, four children with DD were taught to use MS, PE, and SGD to request continuation of toy play (i.e., to request more). This experimental study was implemented using a single-subject alternating-treatment design which was divided into four phases (i.e., baseline, intervention, post-intervention, and follow-up). The effects of intervention on acquisition of the requesting response with each option were evaluated using an alternating-treatments design across participants design. Acquisition and maintenance at 12 to 18 months was compared across the three AAC options in an alternating treatments design. The participants’ preference for using each of the three AAC options was also assessed at regular intervals during the study using a choice-making paradigm. For Study 2, a non-experimental quantitative design was applied. Data were collected using an anonymous five-point Likert-scaled survey that consisted of 11 questions. 104 undergraduate students were shown a video of a person communicating with each AAC option (MS, PE, and SGD in different video clips) then asked to rate each AAC option in terms of perceived (a) intelligibility, (b) ease of acquisition, (c) effectiveness/acceptability, and (d) their preference. Results: Study 1. With intervention, three of the four participants learned to use each of the three AAC options, but one child only learned to use the PE option. Trials to criterion across children ranged from 22 to 28 trials for the SGD, from 12 to 60 trials for PE option, and from 21 to 64 trials for MS option. For the three participants who reached criterion with all three AAC options, maintenance results were best for PE and the SGD. Preference assessments showed that participants most often chose the SGD, suggesting a preference for using that option. For Study 2, the undergraduate students, mean ratings for perceived intelligibility and effectiveness/acceptability were significantly higher for the SGD. The SGD and MS options were rated as being more preferred over PE. PE was rated significantly higher on perceived ease of acquisition. Conclusion: The children’s high level of proficiency in using the most frequently selected AAC system (i.e., the SGD) suggest that incorporating the child’s preference for AAC system might be valuable to avoid the risk of device abandonment. Additionally, data from the social validation assessment suggests that the SGD was perceived to have greater social validity than MS and PE. The combination of these findings adds to the existing literature in supporting the use of the SGD as a promising AAC option for children with DD. Findings on acquisition rates, long-term follow-up, and preference for AAC systems extend previous research with respect to incorporating longer-term follow-up data on the child’s proficiency of and preference across AAC options. Additionally, the social validation results provide a contribution to the field of AAC intervention in relation to how the wider community perceives these three AAC options. Future research might compare several AAC systems when teaching more elaborate communication skills (e.g., social interaction) and exploring factors that might impact one’s perception of a certain AAC systems.</p>

Comparing acquisition, preference, maintenance, and social validity of manual sign, picture exchange, and speech-generating devices as AAC options for children with developmental disabilities

<p>Background: Communication deficit is a defining characteristic of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and other developmental delays/disabilities (DD). In many cases the degree of communication impairment is severe. For example, approximately 25% of children diagnosed with ASD fail to develop sufficient speech to meet their everyday communication needs. In the absence of speech, these children are often taught to use augmentative and alternative communication (AAC). Three main AAC options have been taught to children with DD. These are (a) manual sign (MS), (b) picture exchange systems (PE), in which the child exchanges a picture card to communicate, and (c) speech-generating device (SGD). Debate persists in the literature as to which of these three options is best suited to address the communication intervention needs of children with DD. With the rapid developments in technology, subsequently, more high-tech devices are being introduced to the field of AAC. Studies have compared these three AAC options, but the literature has not yet compared these three options in terms of long-term maintenance of communication skills and social validity of the AAC systems. Objective: The studies in this thesis focused on (a) comparing acquisition and maintenance of a requesting skill that was taught with each of the three AAC options (MS, PE, and SGD), (b) assessing the participant’s preference of using each of the three AAC options, and (c) assessing stakeholders’ perceptions of each AAC option in terms of perceived (a) intelligibility, (b) ease of acquisition, (c) effectiveness/acceptability, and d) preference. Method: In Study 1, four children with DD were taught to use MS, PE, and SGD to request continuation of toy play (i.e., to request more). This experimental study was implemented using a single-subject alternating-treatment design which was divided into four phases (i.e., baseline, intervention, post-intervention, and follow-up). The effects of intervention on acquisition of the requesting response with each option were evaluated using an alternating-treatments design across participants design. Acquisition and maintenance at 12 to 18 months was compared across the three AAC options in an alternating treatments design. The participants’ preference for using each of the three AAC options was also assessed at regular intervals during the study using a choice-making paradigm. For Study 2, a non-experimental quantitative design was applied. Data were collected using an anonymous five-point Likert-scaled survey that consisted of 11 questions. 104 undergraduate students were shown a video of a person communicating with each AAC option (MS, PE, and SGD in different video clips) then asked to rate each AAC option in terms of perceived (a) intelligibility, (b) ease of acquisition, (c) effectiveness/acceptability, and (d) their preference. Results: Study 1. With intervention, three of the four participants learned to use each of the three AAC options, but one child only learned to use the PE option. Trials to criterion across children ranged from 22 to 28 trials for the SGD, from 12 to 60 trials for PE option, and from 21 to 64 trials for MS option. For the three participants who reached criterion with all three AAC options, maintenance results were best for PE and the SGD. Preference assessments showed that participants most often chose the SGD, suggesting a preference for using that option. For Study 2, the undergraduate students, mean ratings for perceived intelligibility and effectiveness/acceptability were significantly higher for the SGD. The SGD and MS options were rated as being more preferred over PE. PE was rated significantly higher on perceived ease of acquisition. Conclusion: The children’s high level of proficiency in using the most frequently selected AAC system (i.e., the SGD) suggest that incorporating the child’s preference for AAC system might be valuable to avoid the risk of device abandonment. Additionally, data from the social validation assessment suggests that the SGD was perceived to have greater social validity than MS and PE. The combination of these findings adds to the existing literature in supporting the use of the SGD as a promising AAC option for children with DD. Findings on acquisition rates, long-term follow-up, and preference for AAC systems extend previous research with respect to incorporating longer-term follow-up data on the child’s proficiency of and preference across AAC options. Additionally, the social validation results provide a contribution to the field of AAC intervention in relation to how the wider community perceives these three AAC options. Future research might compare several AAC systems when teaching more elaborate communication skills (e.g., social interaction) and exploring factors that might impact one’s perception of a certain AAC systems.</p>