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- Genre: Academic theses
Description
The current study employs item difficulty modeling procedures to evaluate the feasibility of potential generative item features for nonword repetition. Specifically, the extent to which the manipulated item features affect the theoretical mechanisms that underlie nonword repetition accuracy was estimated. Generative item features were based on the phonological loop component of Baddelely's model of working memory which addresses phonological short-term memory (Baddeley, 2000, 2003; Baddeley & Hitch, 1974). Using researcher developed software, nonwords were generated to adhere to the phonological constraints of Spanish. Thirty-six nonwords were chosen based on the set item features identified by the proposed cognitive processing model. Using a planned missing data design, two-hundred fifteen Spanish-English bilingual children were administered 24 of the 36 generated nonwords. Multiple regression and explanatory item response modeling techniques (e.g., linear logistic test model, LLTM; Fischer, 1973) were used to estimate the impact of item features on item difficulty. The final LLTM included three item radicals and two item incidentals. Results indicated that the LLTM predicted item difficulties were highly correlated with the Rasch item difficulties (r = .89) and accounted for a substantial amount of the variance in item difficulty (R2 = .79). The findings are discussed in terms of validity evidence in support of using the phonological loop component of Baddeley's model (2000) as a cognitive processing model for nonword repetition items and the feasibility of using the proposed radical structure as an item blueprint for the future generation of nonword repetition items.
ContributorsMorgan, Gareth Philip (Author) / Gorin, Joanna (Thesis advisor) / Levy, Roy (Committee member) / Gray, Shelley (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2011
Description
Frequency effects favoring high print-frequency words have been observed in frequency judgment memory tasks. Healthy young adults performed frequency judgment tasks; one group performed a single task while another group did the same task while alternating their attention to a secondary task (mathematical equations). Performance was assessed by correct and error responses, reaction times, and accuracy. Accuracy and reaction times were analyzed in terms of memory load (task condition), number of repetitions, effect of high vs. low print-frequency, and correlations with working memory span. Multinomial tree analyses were also completed to investigate source vs. item memory and revealed a mirror effect in episodic memory experiments (source memory), but a frequency advantage in span tasks (item memory). Interestingly enough, we did not observe an advantage for high working memory span individuals in frequency judgments, even when participants split their attention during the dual task (similar to a complex span task). However, we concluded that both the amount of attentional resources allocated and prior experience with an item affect how it is stored in memory.
ContributorsPeterson, Megan Paige (Author) / Azuma, Tamiko (Thesis advisor) / Gray, Shelley (Committee member) / Liss, Julie (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2013
Description
Identification of primary language impairment (PLI) in sequential bilingual children is challenging because of the interaction between PLI and second language (L2) proficiency. An important step in improving the accurate diagnosis of PLI in bilingual children is to investigate how differences in L2 performance are affected by a length of L2 exposure and how L2 assessment contributes to differentiation between children with and without PLI at different L2 proficiency levels. Sixty one children with typical language development (TD) ages 5;3-8 years and 12 children with PLI ages 5;5-7;8 years participated. Results revealed that bilingual children with and without PLI, who had between 1 and 3 years of L2 exposure, did not differ in mean length of utterance (MLU), number of different words, percent of maze words, and performance on expressive and receptive grammatical tasks in L2. Performance on a grammaticality judgment task by children with and without PLI demonstrated the largest effect size, indicating that it may potentially contribute to identification of PLI in bilingual populations. In addition, children with PLI did not demonstrate any association between the length of exposure and L2 proficiency, suggesting that they do not develop their L2 proficiency in relation to length of exposure in the same manner as children with TD. Results also indicated that comprehension of grammatical structures and expressive grammatical task in L2 may contribute to differentiation between the language ability groups at the low and intermediate-high proficiency levels. The discriminant analysis with the entire sample of bilingual children with and without PLI revealed that among L2 measures, only MLU contributed to the discrimination between the language ability groups. However, poor classification accuracy suggested that MLU alone is not a sufficient predictor of PLI. There were significant differences among L2 proficiency levels in children with TD in MLU, number of different words, and performance on the expressive and receptive grammatical tasks in L2, indicating that L2 proficiency level may potentially impact the differentiation between language difficulties due to typical L2 acquisition processes and PLI.
ContributorsSmyk, Ekaterina (Author) / Restrepo, Maria Adelaida (Thesis advisor) / Gorin, Joanna (Committee member) / Gray, Shelley (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2012
Description
The bilingual experience is an often-studied multivariate phenomenon with a heterogeneous population that is often described using subtypes of bilingualism. “Bilingualism” as well as its subtypes lack consistent definitions and often share overlapping features, requiring researchers to measure a number of aspects of the bilingual experience. Different variables have been operationalized to quantify the language proficiencies, use, and histories of bilinguals, but the combination of these variables and their contributions to these subtypes often vary between studies on bilingualism. Research supports that these variables have an influence not only on bilingual classification, but also on non-linguistic outcomes including perceptions of self-worth and bicultural identification. To date, there is a lack of research comparing the quantification of these bilingual subtypes and these non-linguistic outcomes, despite research supporting the need to address both. Person-centered approaches such as latent profile analysis (LPA) and fuzzy set qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA) have been applied to describe other multivariate constructs with heterogeneous populations, but these applications have yet to be used with bilingualism. The present study integrates models of bilingualism with these analytic methods in order to quantitatively identify latent profiles of bilinguals, describe the sets of conditions that define these subtypes, and to characterize the subjective experiences that differentiate these subtypes. The first study uses an existing data set of participants who completed the Language and Social Background Questionnaire (LSBQ) and performs LPA and fsQCA, identifying latent profiles and the sets of conditions that these subtypes. The following studies use a second set of bilinguals who also completed the LSBQ as well as a supplementary questionnaire, characterizing their identification with biculturalism and their feelings of self-worth. The analyses are repeated with these data to describe the profiles within these data and the subjective experiences in common. Finally, all analyses are repeated with the combined datasets to develop a final model of bilingual subtypes, describing the differences in language use and history within each subtype. Results demonstrate that latent models can be used to consistently characterize bilingual subtypes, while also providing additional information about the relationship between individual bilingual history and attitudes towards cultural identification.
ContributorsMcGee, Samuel (Author) / Azuma, Tamiko (Thesis advisor) / Gray, Shelley (Committee member) / Roscoe, Rod (Committee member) / Grimm, Kevin (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2022
Description
Behavior challenges impact children and educational professionals on a daily basis; however, it is difficult for educators to obtain high quality training in behavior management. The purpose of this study was to compare cognitive apprenticeship and group work, two teaching methods, to determine which provides better knowledge and implementation outcomes for educators taking a course on behavior analysis. Seventeen educational professionals currently working with students who display challenging behavior were randomly assigned to the cognitive apprenticeship or group work conditions. The difference between the conditions is the introduction of a coach in the cognitive apprenticeship condition. The coach guides learners through the process of understanding and using behavior analysis throughout the course by providing feedback, scaffolding, and encouraging reflection and exploration. Participants completed pre-, post-, and post-posttests that measured their knowledge of behavior analysis and how well they implemented the skills taught in the course. Additionally, they completed weekly quizzes and reported how often they used the skills in real-life situations. Overall group differences across time points for knowledge and implementation scores were analyzed using a repeated measures analysis of variance (ANOVA). There were significant differences across time for both scores but not condition or time by condition. A covariance pattern model was used to determine if self-efficacy, self-confidence, previous behavior knowledge, or overall quiz performance predicted the variance in knowledge and implementation scores on the pre-, post-, and post-posttests across conditions. Time was the only significant predictor of knowledge scores, while time, condition and self-efficacy significantly predicted the variance in implementation scores. Additionally, one-way ANOVAs were used to find condition-based differences in quiz scores and practical skill use, neither of which were significant. Finally, a linear regression was used to determine if on quiz performance predicts the use of skills in real-world settings, which it did not. The courses impact on learning, skill use, and student behavior as well as future applications are discussed.
ContributorsSacchetta, Melissa (Author) / Gray, Shelley (Thesis advisor) / Braden, B. Blair (Committee member) / McNeish, Daniel (Committee member) / Zuiker, Steve (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2022
Description
The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of parent training in the Enhanced Milieu Teaching with Phonological Emphasis (EMT+PE) intervention program, using telepractice, on parent strategy use and child speech and language outcomes for children with repaired cleft palate with or without lip (CP/L). Four parent child dyads participated in the study. Child participants ranged in age from 28 to 53 months at the beginning of intervention and all had a diagnosis of nonsyndromic CP/L. Participants received two-to-three parent training sessions and twice weekly telepractice intervention sessions. Parents increased their use of EMT+PE strategies throughout intervention with the Modeling and Expansion and Prompting and Recasting strategies resulting in significant intervention effects. Moreover, parents maintained increased strategy use following the conclusion of direct intervention. A positive improvement in child speech and language outcomes was seen across intervention. This study showed that telepractice is an effective service delivery model for parent training and subsequent intervention session in EMT+PE strategy use to support the speech and language development for children with CP/L.
ContributorsEllis, Paige Kathryn (Author) / Scherer, Nancy J (Thesis advisor) / Gray, Shelley (Committee member) / Peter, Beate (Committee member) / Lien, Kari (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2022
Description
Currently, there are few quality tools available to screen for developmental language disorder (DLD) in Spanish-speaking children despite the continued increase of this population in the United States. The lack of valid and reliable screening tools may be a factor leading to difficulties with the identification of and delivery of services to these children. This study plans to improve upon the screening of Spanish-English bilingual children.The Spanish Screener for Language Impairment in Children (SSLIC) tests Spanish oral language skills in Spanish-speaking children. It measures language skills through morphology elicitation of Spanish clitics, prepositions, derivational morphemes, subjunctive verb tenses, and articles and repetition of nonwords and sentences, which have all been shown to be affected in Spanish-speaking children with DLD.
The purpose of the study is to provide preliminary validity evidence of the SSLIC. Children's results on the SSLIC were compared to other validated measures. Fourteen Spanish-English bilingual students were recruited: 11 children with typical language development (TD) and 3 with DLD. The Bilingual English-Spanish Assessment and the Dynamic Measure of Oral Narrative Discourse were used to establish preliminary validity evidence. Pearson correlations were run to determine if SSLIC scores correlated with other validated measures. Significant correlations were found between the SSLIC’s scores and scores on the BESA. One-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) was used to determine mean differences between groups. No significant mean differences for SSLIC scores were found between children with typical and atypical language. Yet, effect sizes suggested group differences. Point to point analysis revealed that the SSLIC has excellent inter-rater reliability.
Despite a small sample size, this study serves as preliminary evidence that the SSLIC is both valid and reliable and supports that the SSLIC has the potential to be used as a screening tool for DLD for Spanish-speaking kindergarten and 1st grade students with further validation, which should continue.
ContributorsSmith, Brandon Earl (Author) / Restrepo, María A (Thesis advisor) / Gray, Shelley (Committee member) / Brown, Jean C (Committee member) / Moen, Theresa C (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2023
Description
This mixed methods study examined whether participation in a virtual community of practice (vCoP) could impact the implementation of new skills learned in a professional development session and help to close the research to implementation gap.
Six participants attended a common professional development session and completed pre- , mid- , and post-intervention surveys regarding their implementation of social emotional teaching strategies as well as face-to-face interviews.
Both quantitative and qualitative data was examined to determine if participation in the vCoP impacted implementation of skills learned in the PD session. Quantitative data was inconclusive but qualitative data showed an appreciation for participation in the vCoP and access to the resources shared by the participants. Limitations and implications for future cycles of research are discussed.
Six participants attended a common professional development session and completed pre- , mid- , and post-intervention surveys regarding their implementation of social emotional teaching strategies as well as face-to-face interviews.
Both quantitative and qualitative data was examined to determine if participation in the vCoP impacted implementation of skills learned in the PD session. Quantitative data was inconclusive but qualitative data showed an appreciation for participation in the vCoP and access to the resources shared by the participants. Limitations and implications for future cycles of research are discussed.
ContributorsLopez, Ariana Colleen (Author) / Dorn, Sherman (Thesis advisor) / Gray, Shelley (Committee member) / Zbyszinski, Lauren (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2018
Description
ABSTRACT
This study investigated the effects of a family literacy program for Latino parents' language practices at home and their children's oral language skills. Specifically, the study examined the extent to which: (a) the program called Family Reading Intervention for Language and Literacy in Spanish (FRILLS) was effective at teaching low-education, low-income Latino parents three language strategies (i.e., comments, high-level questions and recasts) as measured by parent implementation, (b) parents maintained implementation of the three language strategies two weeks following the program, and (c) parent implementation of such practices positively impacted children's oral language skills as measured by number of inferences, conversational turns, number of different words, and the Mean Length of Utterance in words (MLU-w).
Five Latino mothers and their Spanish-speaking preschool children participated in a multiple baseline single-subject design across participants. After stable baseline data, each mother was randomly selected to initiate the intervention. Program initiation was staggered across the five mothers. The mothers engaged in seven individual intervention sessions. Data on parent and child outcomes were collected across three experimental conditions: baseline, intervention, and follow-up. This study employed visual analysis of the data to determine the program effects on parent and child outcome variables.
Results indicated that the program was effective in increasing the mothers' use of comments and high-level questions, but not recasts, when reading to their children. The program had a positive effect on the children's number of inferences, different words, and conversational turns, but not on the mean length of utterances. Findings indicate that FRILLS may be effective at extending and enriching the language environment that low-income children who are culturally and linguistically diverse experience at home. Three results with important implications for those who implement, develop, or examine family literacy programs are discussed.
This study investigated the effects of a family literacy program for Latino parents' language practices at home and their children's oral language skills. Specifically, the study examined the extent to which: (a) the program called Family Reading Intervention for Language and Literacy in Spanish (FRILLS) was effective at teaching low-education, low-income Latino parents three language strategies (i.e., comments, high-level questions and recasts) as measured by parent implementation, (b) parents maintained implementation of the three language strategies two weeks following the program, and (c) parent implementation of such practices positively impacted children's oral language skills as measured by number of inferences, conversational turns, number of different words, and the Mean Length of Utterance in words (MLU-w).
Five Latino mothers and their Spanish-speaking preschool children participated in a multiple baseline single-subject design across participants. After stable baseline data, each mother was randomly selected to initiate the intervention. Program initiation was staggered across the five mothers. The mothers engaged in seven individual intervention sessions. Data on parent and child outcomes were collected across three experimental conditions: baseline, intervention, and follow-up. This study employed visual analysis of the data to determine the program effects on parent and child outcome variables.
Results indicated that the program was effective in increasing the mothers' use of comments and high-level questions, but not recasts, when reading to their children. The program had a positive effect on the children's number of inferences, different words, and conversational turns, but not on the mean length of utterances. Findings indicate that FRILLS may be effective at extending and enriching the language environment that low-income children who are culturally and linguistically diverse experience at home. Three results with important implications for those who implement, develop, or examine family literacy programs are discussed.
ContributorsMesa Guecha, Carol Magnolia (Author) / Restrepo, María A (Thesis advisor) / Gray, Shelley (Committee member) / Jimenez-Silva, Margarita (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2015
Description
Research suggests that some children with primary language impairment (PLI)
have difficulty with certain aspects of executive function; however, most studies examining executive function have been conducted using tasks that require children to use language to complete the task. As a result, it is unclear whether poor performance on executive function tasks was due to language impairment, to executive function deficits, or both. The purpose of this study is to evaluate whether preschoolers with PLI have deficits in executive function by comprehensively examining inhibition, updating, and mental set shifting using tasks that do and do not required language to complete the tasks.
Twenty-two four and five-year-old preschoolers with PLI and 30 age-matched preschoolers with typical development (TD) completed two sets of computerized executive function tasks that measured inhibition, updating, and mental set shifting. The first set of tasks were language based and the second were visually-based. This permitted us to test the hypothesis that poor performance on executive function tasks results from poor executive function rather than language impairment. A series of one-way analyses of covariance (ANCOVAs) were completed to test whether there was a significant between-group difference on each task after controlling for attention scale scores. In each analysis the between-group factor was group and the covariate was attention scale scores.
Results showed that preschoolers with PLI showed difficulties on a broad range of linguistic and visual executive function tasks even with scores on an attention measure covaried. Executive function deficits were found for linguistic inhibition, linguistic and visual updating, and linguistic and visual mental set shifting. Overall, findings add to evidence showing that the executive functioning deficits of children with PLI is not limited to the language domain, but is more general in nature. Implications for early assessment and intervention will be discussed.
have difficulty with certain aspects of executive function; however, most studies examining executive function have been conducted using tasks that require children to use language to complete the task. As a result, it is unclear whether poor performance on executive function tasks was due to language impairment, to executive function deficits, or both. The purpose of this study is to evaluate whether preschoolers with PLI have deficits in executive function by comprehensively examining inhibition, updating, and mental set shifting using tasks that do and do not required language to complete the tasks.
Twenty-two four and five-year-old preschoolers with PLI and 30 age-matched preschoolers with typical development (TD) completed two sets of computerized executive function tasks that measured inhibition, updating, and mental set shifting. The first set of tasks were language based and the second were visually-based. This permitted us to test the hypothesis that poor performance on executive function tasks results from poor executive function rather than language impairment. A series of one-way analyses of covariance (ANCOVAs) were completed to test whether there was a significant between-group difference on each task after controlling for attention scale scores. In each analysis the between-group factor was group and the covariate was attention scale scores.
Results showed that preschoolers with PLI showed difficulties on a broad range of linguistic and visual executive function tasks even with scores on an attention measure covaried. Executive function deficits were found for linguistic inhibition, linguistic and visual updating, and linguistic and visual mental set shifting. Overall, findings add to evidence showing that the executive functioning deficits of children with PLI is not limited to the language domain, but is more general in nature. Implications for early assessment and intervention will be discussed.
ContributorsYang, Huichun (Author) / Gray, Shelley (Thesis advisor) / Restrepo, Maria (Committee member) / Azuma, Tamiko (Committee member) / Green, Samuel (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2015