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Language Assessment of Bilingual Children

Language Assessment of Bilingual Children. Information about bilinguals in U.S. Bilinguals not “two monolinguals in one” ( Grosjean , 1989) Bilinguals use amalgamated system Forward & back transfer of strategies (Hernandez, Bates & Avila, 1994)

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Language Assessment of Bilingual Children

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  1. Language Assessment of Bilingual Children

  2. Information about bilinguals in U.S. • Bilinguals not “two monolinguals in one” (Grosjean, 1989) • Bilinguals use amalgamated system • Forward & back transfer of strategies (Hernandez, Bates & Avila, 1994) • Bilingualism changes over lifespan (Kohnert, Bates, & Hernandez, 1999)

  3. Primary Language Impairment • Primary language impairment (PLI) is a language disorder that delays the mastery of language skills in children who have no hearing loss or other developmental delays.

  4. Bilingual Language Impairment • Primary language impairment (PLI) is a language disorder that delays the mastery of language skills in children who have no hearing loss or other developmental delays • Not an effect of second language acquisition • Affects BOTH languages

  5. Challenges in Assessment True Language Impairment vs. Outcomes of Divided Input

  6. Challenges in Assessment • Second language learning looks like PLI • First language loss looks like PLI • Language Dominance • Age of first English exposure • Percent of current exposure • Test domain (by language experience)

  7. Bilingualism • HIGHLY VARIABLE at individual level

  8. Translation • Linguistic Equivalence • Functional Equivalence • Cultural Equivalence • Psychometric Equivalence From: Peña, 2007

  9. Linguistic Equivalence • Translation focusing on using the same words in similar ways • Ensures similarity in task presentation • Problem • Same words ≠ same FUNCTION & MEANING

  10. Same words ≠ same FUNCTION & MEANING What’s the goal of: • Where’s the ______. • Show me the ______. Will translation meet the goal?

  11. Functional Equivalence • “Where’s the” 6.97 times/million • “En donde esta” 1 time/million • “Show” 609 times/million (“show me” 8.02) • “Enseña” 1 time/million • “Mira” 439 times/million • “Busca” 45 times/million

  12. Functional Equivalence • Goal is to be able to test same concept or behavior • Need to be able to elicit target

  13. Meaning • Cultural meaning • Words are not culture/experience neutral

  14. Bread

  15. Pan

  16. Meaning • Goal is to elicit behavior that means the same culturally • Example: Temperament questionnaire

  17. Practical Considerations • Language of home • Language of school • Demands across contexts

  18. Psychometric Equivalence • Item difficulty • Based on number of participants who got item correct • Item discrimination • Difference in correct performance between clinical and non-clinical group • Goal  equivalent tests

  19. Development of a Bilingual Test Four Domains: • Semantics • Morphosyntax • Pragmatics • Phonology

  20. Development of a Bilingual Test • Test blueprint • Focus on markers • Iterative approach

  21. Semantics • Children with PLI: • Weak semantic representations & semantic depth (McGregor et al., 2002; Sheng, Peña, Bedore, & Fiestas, 2012) • Require more exposures to learn new word (Gray, 2003, 2005) • BUT • Vocabulary knowledge often WNL (low normal)

  22. Semantics

  23. Morphosyntax • Difficulty with inflectional morphology (Leonard, 2000) • Difficulties differ depending on the language Spanish • Direct object clitics • Articles • Subjunctive (Bedore & Leonard, 2002; Gutiérrez-Clellen, Restrepo, & Simon-Cereijido, 2006; Jacobson & Schwartz, 2005) English • Tense marking (-ing, -ed) • Passives • Plurals (Conti-Ramsden, 2003; Dale & Cole, 1991; Leonard, 1998; Rice, 1996)

  24. Morphosyntax

  25. What language should be tested? • L1 • L2 • Both • How should the two languages be combined?

  26. Language Performance • Associated with • age of first L2 exposure • current input/output (Bedore, et al., 2012)

  27. Language Dominance

  28. Patterns Bilingual English Spanish Assessment (BESA) • Best (higher) in each language for: morphosyntax + semantics

  29. Procedure • Children tested in Spanish, English or both • Ability testing: language samples, parent/teacher questionnaire, clinical concern • Bilingual input-output based on parent/teacher questionnaire • Bilingual English Spanish Assessment– BESA Semantics

  30. Discriminant Analysis • Determined cuts via FME and FMS • Applied same cut-scores to BSE group • Single language • Both languages

  31. Discrimination Bilingual English Spanish Assessment (BESA)

  32. Discussion For ID of PLI in bilinguals consider: • Structure of language • Markers of PLI particular to language • Level of exposure– L1 vs. L2 • Performance by language and domain • Performance in best language

  33. Practical Considerations • Language of home • Language of school • Demands across contexts

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