Task Variability Effects on the Language Test Performance of Southern Lower Socioeconomic Class African American and Caucasian Five-Year-Olds

Abstract

Twelve African American and twelve Caucasian preschool children were administered items from the Preschool Language Assessment Instrument (PLAI) under standard conditions and in thematic interactions (PLAI-T) to determine if task variability had an effect on language test scores. The African American group earned significantly higher test scores when the items were administered in the thematic mode as compared to the standardized test format, with the major score increases tending to occur on the more complex and difficult items. Clinical implications of considering task effects and dynamic assessment in multicultural assessment are discussed.

Language outcomes among ELBW infants in early childhood

“…Other investigators have identified differences in patterns of language acquisition in various cultural groups (35, 36). These differences can represent testing bias due to the nature of tasks used to assess particular skills(37). Even simple tests of vocabulary development designed for monolingual language learners within a particular culture may not provide an accurate representation of the skills of children who are learning the same language within a different cultural context.…”

Lost in Translation: Methodological Considerations in Cross‐Cultural Research

“…Thus elicitation frames for each language in the final version are functionally equivalent and linguistically different, yet both elicit linguistically similar responses. Attention to functional equivalence allows children to demonstrate their knowledge in an elicitation context that is familiar in each language (Fagundes, Haynes, Haak, & Moran, 1998;Peñ a, 2001). This type of equivalence levels the crosscultural playing field.…”

Oral Narrative Skills: Implications for the Reading Development of African American Children

“…Traditional narrative assessments, however, are typically time consuming and expensive (Justice, Bowles, Pence, & Gosse, 2010). Standardized assessments (e.g., of expressive and receptive vocabulary), which are commonly used to assess children’s oral language abilities, often lack ecological validity (Justice et al., 2010) and may be biased against African American children (e.g., Champion, Hyter, Mc‐Cabe, & Bland‐Stewart, 2003; Fagundes, Haynes, Haak, & Moran, 1998; Washington, 2001). Narrative assessments provide a culturally sensitive, naturalistic, and ecologically valid means of assessing children’s language strengths and needs for instruction (Justice et al., 2010; Rollins et al., 2000).…”

“…Narrative assessments provide a culturally sensitive, naturalistic, and ecologically valid means of assessing children’s language strengths and needs for instruction (Justice et al., 2010; Rollins et al., 2000). In addition, narrative assessment may provide a more informative determination of African American children’s language abilities than do standardized measures, given the evidence that African American children’s language performance improves when assessed in naturalistic contexts (e.g., Fagundes et al., 1998). Further research is needed concerning how using narrative assessments, compared to standardized assessments, may reveal different language competencies among African American children.…”