Development of a vocabulary list for the Persian version of the profile of early expressive phonological skills: a pilot study

Abstract

ABSTRACT This research presents a two-phase study aimed at developing and validating the Profile of Early Expressive Phonological Skills for Persian (PEEPS-P) as an assessment tool for evaluating phonological abilities in toddlers. In Phase 1, a total of 60 words were meticulously selected for inclusion in both the basic and expanded word lists, taking into account factors such as age of acquisition (AoA) and phonological complexity. The word lists included monosyllabic and multisyllabic words with diverse consonant clusters, covering various semantic categories. Moving on to Phase 2, data were collected from a sample of 81 toddlers belonging to different age groups. Three elicitation methods were employed to gather data for both the basic and expanded word lists. The study also examined the time required to complete the test and Percentage of Consonant Correct (PCC) scores. The results revealed that, as children's age increased, there was an increase in the percentage of words produced, accompanied by a decrease in the time taken to complete the test. For instance, the youngest age group (18–23 months) produced approximately 46.83% of words in the basic word list, taking an average of about 22 minutes and 3 seconds, while the oldest age group (30–35 months) produced approximately 95.5% of words in both word lists in less than 17 minutes. Ultimately, the findings suggest that the PEEPS-P has the potential to serve as a valuable tool for assessing phonological abilities in toddlers aged 18–35 months.