Complex Language Skills Research Articles

Student Progress Tracing of Arabic Learning: A Qualitative Investigation of Speaking Skills Formative Evaluation in Islamic Elementary School

Formative evaluation of Arabic language proficiency plays a crucial role in identifying students' progress in the learning process, particularly in speaking skills or maharatul kalam. The aim of this study is to explore the implementation of formative evaluation on Arabic speaking skills in the third-grade class of SDIT Harapan Bunda Manado. The research adopts a qualitative approach with data collected through interviews with Arabic language teachers and observations in three different classes. The findings indicate that the types of speaking skills tests implemented in this school align with the principles of Arabic language teaching for beginners. The formative evaluation method of maharatul kalam includes reading texts aloud and identifying vocabulary words presented by the teacher. This evaluation is conducted formatively throughout the learning process. Both evaluation methods aim to measure students' reading, pronunciation, and vocabulary mastery as a foundation for developing more complex Arabic language skills in subsequent levels. Interactive evaluation, utilizing varied technologies and approaches, enables teachers to provide constructive feedback and customize learning according to individual student needs.

Digital tools in education: Preschool teacher's perspectives on language development in kindergarten

The study focuses on utilizing digital technologies within the context of preschool education in the Czech Republic, as viewed through the lens of kindergarten teachers. The objective was to find out teachers' perspectives on using digital technologies with a focus on language development in preschools from the point of view of Czech teachers. The survey method was used for data collection. Responses were collected from 80 preschool teachers from the Czech Republic using an online questionnaire; data was analyzed and discussed quantitatively in descriptive analysis. The study revealed that preschool establishments demonstrate a relatively commendable level of digital technology provisioning, which has grown recently with the help of financial subsidies from the government. However, teachers state that there is a lack of management support for effectively integrating them into the curriculum. The survey revealed that they also have to deal with the organizational arrangements of children when using digital technologies, given the number of children in classes. In our study, we paid special attention to areas of language competence that had developed. It was found that teachers prefer applications with simple language development competencies as opposed to complex language skills. They also prefer to use applications that children can use independently. In conclusion, teachers mostly have a positive attitude towards their utilization, under the condition of limiting their use in time and type of content.

The role of preschoolers' home literacy environment and emergent literacy skills on later reading and writing skills in primary school: A mediational model.

The importance of the quality of home literacy environment and practices (HLE&P) in the earliest years on children's reading and writing development is recognized in the literature. However, whether and to what extent this relationship between preschoolers' HLE&P on their later reading and writing skills in primary school is mediated by emergent literacy competence remains to be clarified. It may be that preschool constitutes a significant opportunity for children to develop notational awareness and phonological awareness which are emergent literacy skills that are fundamental for later reading and writing skills. Children who experience literacy-poor HLE&P with fewer opportunities to practice more complex language skills and diverse vocabulary might develop adequate reading and writing skills when their emergent literacy skills in preschool are high (notational and phonological awareness). This longitudinal study aimed to investigate the mediational role of preschoolers' emergent literacy skills in preschool (notational and phonological awareness) in the relationship between HLE&P and reading and writing skills shown by the same children in primary school using a large-scale dataset. A total of 115 children (mean-age at last year of preschool = 4.88 ± 0.36) took part in the research. In preschool, children performed emergent literacy tasks and their parents completed a home literacy questionnaire. Later, in primary school, children completed standardized assessments of spelling (orthographic accuracy and fluency in a dictation task) and reading decoding (accuracy and speed in a text reading task) skills. The results of mediational analyses showed that notational awareness totally mediates the relationship between HLE&P and reading speed (𝛽= - 0.17, p < 0.05) and writing accuracy (𝛽=0.10, p < 0.05), but not for reading accuracy in primary school. The mediational model with phonological awareness as mediator was not significant. The results are discussed in the light of the effect of preschool in contributing to filling children's home literacy gaps and disadvantages. In preschool, emergent literacy programs are essential to counterbalance the needs of preschoolers to develop adequate reading and writing skills when the family cannot provide enriched HLE&P from the early years of life.

Assessing school readiness in children with cochlear implants using an Arabic language-based test

ABSTRACT The Jeddah Institute for Speech and Hearing- School Readiness Screening Test (JISH-SRST), an Arabic language-based test, was used to assess 33 children with cochlear implants (CCIs) aged 5;0–6;11 (years; months) compared to age-and gender-matched children with typical hearing (CTH). The main objectives of the study were to compare the spoken language performance of CCIs to that of CTH and to determine if there is a relationship between their language performance and the variables of gender, implant age, and chronological age. Results showed that CTH outperformed CCIs (p < .05) on all JISH-SRST subtests. Despite using spoken language to communicate, CCIs exhibited significant delays in a variety of language skills, with their weakest performance on tasks requiring the development of proper syntax and morphology skills. In general, both groups performed better in receptive language than expressive language. While gender did not have significant effects on language performance, implant age and chronological age did. Clinical implications of the findings include the significance of implementing a newborn hearing screening system for early detection of hearing loss and early cochlear implantation before age two, providing intensive speech therapy services that target complex language skills until school age and throughout the elementary years of school, and training classroom teachers to work effectively with CCIs. This will improve their communication experiences and school readiness outcomes. The findings may have ramifications for multiple stakeholders in Jordan in the health and education sectors.

Acquisition of Pragmatic Skills in Paediatric Cochlear Implant Users.

Pragmatic language skills are one of the most complex language skills. Children with hearing loss face difficulty in social participation and effective communication during mainstreaming. Without mastery of these skills, children may encounter significant challenges with abstract conversational communication and literacy. This study aimed to explore the age and pattern of acquisition of pragmatic skills in hearing-impaired children. Twelve (12) children with Cochlear Implants (CI) in the age range of 5 to 10years with minimum 1-year post-implantation regular therapy and twelve (12) age-matched normal hearing children participated in the study. All participants were administered the 'Test of Pragmatic Skills' (Shulman, 1986) comprising different domains of pragmatics. Their responses were rated on a six-point rating scale from 0 to 5. A qualitative analysis of various domains revealed that paediatric cochlear implant users used varied pragmatic skills at approximately 3years on average during the post-implantation period compared to the typically developing children who acquired the skills well below 3 years on average. Pragmatics is very well correlated to the child's cognition; hence, the higher the cognitive age, the earlier the acquisition of pragmatic skills. The results prove that pragmatic skills developed proportionately to their implant age but need to be at par with their cognitive age. Rehabilitation of CI children, thus, should levy heavy focus on varied pragmatic domains, which will facilitate contextually appropriate communication at the earliest possible time during the post-implantation period.

A Habitual Action of Listening to Songs in a Writing Class

The behaviour of learners in listening to English songs will create a habit, or activity carried out periodically or repeatedly. Learners who always listen to English songs form habitual actions that may affect their language learning process, especially vocabulary acquaintance. The habit of listening to English songs offers occasions to learn the language. The learners who have the habit of listening to English songs will have more vocabulary since they are used to listening to many words in the lyrics. Mastery of vocabulary in writing is essential. Writing is one of the complex language skills because it involves the ability of writing techniques and language skills. With poor vocabulary mastery, students find it difficult to string words together to make a sentence because they lack the vocabulary to represent their writing. Students with good vocabulary mastery were able and easy to string words. They can determine diction for their writing.&#x0D; &#x0D; Keywords: vocabulary mastery; habit of listening to the song.

Habilidades de comprensión y producción narrativa en niños montevideanos de 5 años. Una comparación por nivel socioeconómico

Narrative abilities are an important part of communication, academic success, and healthy relationships. These abilities involve complex language and cognitive skills, such as precise vocabulary, control of the coherence markers, relations of cause-effect, and planning. They are also relevant during the elementary school years and interact with the socio-emotional skills necessary to understand different points of view. Oral narrative production develops dramatically from 3 to 5 years of age and is a key factor in a child’s ability to communicate about the world. During this period narratives are a product of increasing linguistic sophistication over the preschool period and there is a complex relationship between early narratives and language proficiency. So far, most research about this topic has been pursued in populations other than Latin American preschoolers. At the same time, a considerably lesser number of studies about narrative abilities development have been carried out comparing typically developing children from different socioeconomic backgrounds. To our knowledge, there are no studies in Uruguay that assess the narrative abilities development in typically developing preschool children who grow up in vulnerable contexts. It is therefore of the utmost relevance to produce empirical evidence for this population. For these reasons, this study aimed at characterizing and comparing narrative abilities and receptive vocabulary in a group of a total of 54 Uruguayan preschoolers from different socioeconomic backgrounds (middle and low socioeconomic status, SES). Children were assessed in receptive vocabulary and narrative abilities across two task conditions: (1) narrative comprehension through a story retelling task which included some final questions about the story; (2) narrative production elicited from a set of thematically related puppets. The examiner gives a child a puppet set and asks him/her to elaborate a narrative using them. After that, puppets are removed and the child is asked to retell the story without puppets. Children’s oral productions were video-taped and then transcribed and categorized using the ELAN software (Max Planck Institute for Psycholinguistics, 2019). The verbal information was categorized according to Stein and Glenn’s (1979) story grammar and considering the microstructural aspects (productivity and complexity). Analyses showed that both groups performed according to their stage of development in both narrative task conditions. With regards to the narrative comprehension task, no differences in the number of recovered categories, extension, or narrative complexity were observed. Concerning the narrative production task, there were no differences between the groups in narrative sequences, nor in the number of completed episodes in conditions neither with puppets nor without puppets. Results showed that children who grow up in poverty perform more poorly than their peers from middle-income families in receptive vocabulary, in the number of recovered episodes, ask-answer items of narrative comprehension tasks. Moreover, concerning the microstructural parameters analyses showed that children from middle socioeconomic backgrounds scored better in syntactic complexity in the without puppets condition. No differences between the groups were observed in syntactic complexity in the puppets condition. Taken together these results indicate a complex link between vocabulary and narrative abilities. It is worth noting that important differences in vocabulary did not reflect in the children’s narrative performance. These findings are also relevant as a contribution to an ongoing debate about the role of vocabulary in the development of narrative abilities. Furthermore, these results could inform the discussion about the ecological validity of the test of cognitive and linguistic development. Finally, to provide some additional evidence to Uruguayan Spanish language about the relationships between oral language and cognitive development allows to carry out early interventions before formal schooling sets children for success in school and life. https://doi.org/10.16888/interd.2022.39.3.4

Detecting autism from picture book narratives using deep neural utterance embeddings.

Deficits in the ability to use language in social contexts, including storytelling skills, are observed across the autism spectrum. Development in machine-learning approaches may contribute to clinical psychology and psychiatry, given its potential to support decisions concerning the diagnosis and treatment of psychiatric conditions and disorders. To evaluate the usefulness of deep neural networks for detecting autism spectrum disorder (ASD) from textual utterances, specifically from narrations produced by individuals with ASD. We examined two text encoders: Embeddings from Language Models (ELMo) and Universal Sentence Encoder (USE), and three classification algorithms: XGBoost, support vector machines, and dense neural network layer. We aimed to classify 25 participants with ASD and 25 participants with typical development (TD) based on their narrations produced during the Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule, Second Edition (ADOS-2) picture book task. The results of computational approaches were compared with the results of standardized testing and classifications made by two psychiatrists (raters). The raters were asked to read utterances produced by a participant (without an examiner's statements and additional information) and assign a participant to one of the two groups: ASD or with typical development (TD). The computer-based models had higher sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive values and negative predictive values than the raters, and lower than the two standardized instruments: ADOS-2 and Social Communication Questionnaire (SCQ). Our findings lay the groundwork for future studies involving deep neural network-based text representation models as tools for augmenting the ASD diagnosis or screening. Both ELMo and USE text encoders provided promising specificities, sensitivities, positive predictive values and negative predictive values. Our results indicate the usefulness of page-level embeddings for utterance representation in ADOS-2 picture book task. What is already known on this subject Deficits in the use of language in social contexts, and narrative ability in particular, are observed across the autism spectrum. Most research on narrative skills has applied hand-coding methods. Hitherto, machine-learning methods were used mostly for image recognition problems and data from screening questionnaires for ASD classification. Detection of mental and developmental disorders from textual input is an emerging field for machine and deep-learning methods. What this paper adds to existing knowledge This study explored the ability of several types of deep neural network-based text representation models to detect ASD. Both ELMo and USE provided the most promising values of specificity, sensitivity, positive predictive values and negative predictive values. What are the potential or actual clinical implications of this work? Competitive accuracy, repeatability, speed and ease of operation are all advantages of computerized methods. They allow for objective and quantitative assessment of narrative ability and complex language skills. Deep neural network-based text representation models could in the future support clinicians and augment the decision-making process related to ASD diagnosis, screening and intervention planning.

The Emergence of a Complex Language Skill: Evidence from the Self-organization of Interpreting Competence in Interpreting Students

AbstractResearch on the development of interpreting competence could be a window to the issue of how L2 learners develop complex language skills. The present study conducted a longitudinal experiment with beginning interpreting students, exploring the change of relationship between consecutive interpreting (CI) competence and two related capacities (i.e., language competence and memory capacity). Two major results were revealed. First, in general, more language skills and working memory (WM) spans got correlated with CI performance at the later stage of CI training. Second, a fit structural equation model of CI competence could only be reported in the post-test. We may therefore conclude that the development of interpreting competence is at least partly a result of the self-organization of the interpreting competence system, in which relevant components get mobilized, and a better coordinated structure emerges. Implications for the development of complex language skills and for the concept of self-organization are discussed.

Early Communication Behaviors in Infants With Cleft Palate With and Without Robin Sequence: A Preliminary Study.

Objective:To investigate the early communication behaviors in infants with nonsyndromic isolated cleft palate (iCP) and Robin sequence (RS).Design:Group comparison using parent report.Participants:There were 106 participants included in this study. Two groups were selected from the UK Cleft Collective resource. Parents had completed the Language ENvironment Analysis Developmental Snapshot questionnaire when their child turned 13 months. There were 78 participants in the iCP group and 28 in the RS group.Main Outcome Measure(s):Total number of communication behaviors reported on the questionnaire. Subdomains for expressive and receptive language and social communication behaviors were also analyzed.Results:There were no statistically significant group differences. Parents of infants with RS reported fewer later communication behaviors compared to the iCP group. Infants in both groups had fewer communication behaviors compared to the normative sample. Across the whole sample, post hoc analysis revealed a significant correlation between severity of the cleft and social communication behaviors and expressive but not receptive language. Infants with a cleft of the hard and soft palate were more likely to be in the RS group (odds ratio: 7.04 [95% CI: 1.55-32.04]; P = .01).Conclusions:Both groups reported similar levels of early communication. Some divergence of more complex language skills was seen, although there were no significant group differences. A relationship with the diagnosis of a cleft of the hard or soft palate with expressive language behaviors was found. Further study into the impact of cleft severity on early speech development and the relationship with later language skills is needed along with longitudinal follow-up of this population.

A Systematic Review of Augmented Reality Applications in Language Learning

Augmented reality (AR) is one of the emerging technologies gradually venturing into the education field. Although AR is strongly linked to subjects related to Science, Mathematics, and Technology in schools and tertiary education, there is no mention of AR in non-technical subjects, such as language. Thus, this study aims to discover the AR application trends in language learning and the language skills prevalent in AR usage. In this systematic literature review, AR-related research in language learning began in 2016 and has continued to be on the rise. Furthermore, the preferred language skills used with AR technology required lower cognitive levels, such as identifying words, understanding meanings, and spelling, and pronouncing words. Based on the gap indicating the rare usage of AR for more complex and critical language skills, such as reading and writing, this study hopes to enlighten the researchers, educators, and application developers to focus on developing AR applications for languages other than English, incorporate higher-order learning outcomes in the language learning activities, and pursue qualitative investigations.

Spraakverstaan, taalvaardigheid en verbaal werkgeheugen bij kinderen met CI

Dit artikel is geschreven ten behoeve van het NVSST symposium ‘to hear or not to hear’,1 maart 2019.Met een cochleair implantaat (CI) worden de spraakperceptiemogelijkheden in rustvan ernstig slechthorende en dove kinderen aanzienlijk verbeterd. In ongunstige luistersituatieszijn de hoormogelijkheden nog beperkt.De auditieve mogelijkheden met CI bieden in principe voldoende voorwaarde voorde verwerving van een leeftijdsadequaat woordbegrip. Echter op het gebied van complexeretaalvaardigheden zoals morfo-syntaxis, vertelvaardigheden en verbaal redenerenworden nog problemen beschreven.Een mogelijke verklaring daarvoor, naast het verminderde spraakverstaan, is gelegenin de zwakkere en instabiele fonologische representaties. Er blijken vooral problemenmet de storage component (fonologische loop) van het werkgeheugen. Dit heeft tot gevolgdat de capaciteit en de effectiviteit van het werkgeheugen verminderen.

English language learners’ language and literacy development: A brief synopsis of major theoretical orientations for middle school teachers

The purpose of this article is to present a brief synopsis of major theoretical orientations of second language acquisition (SLA) processes and offer practical implications for middle school teachers who work with English language learners (ELLs). ELLs’ academic needs in middle school settings are particularly unique. Compared to younger children, middle school ELLs face more challenging tasks. They need to develop both complex content knowledge and language skills at the same time to be successful in school. Given that ELLs’ language and literacy development is foundational to their successful academic learning across the curriculum, it is important for middle school teachers to deepen their theoretical understanding of ELLs’ language and literacy learning processes. Yet, many teachers experience difficulties in understanding SLA theories because the conceptually complex theories are often presented in an inaccessible manner, obscured by linguistic jargon. This article, drawn from a review of theoretical perspectives in the literature and over a decade of classroom studies, provides a synopsis of the major theoretical orientations. These theories provide important instructional implications on how middle school teachers can successfully support ELLs’ language and literacy learning across the curriculum.

Early Brain Injury and Adaptive Functioning in Middle Childhood: The Mediating Role of Pragmatic Language.

Traumatic brain injuries (TBIs) often adversely affect adaptive functioning (AF). However, the cognitive mechanisms by which AF is disrupted are not well understood in young children who sustain TBI. This study examined pragmatic language (PL) and executive functioning (EF) as potential mechanisms for AF disruption in children with early, predominantly mild-complicated, TBI. The sample consisted of 76 children between the ages of 6 and 10 years old who sustained a TBI (n = 36) or orthopedic injury (OI; n = 40) before 6 years of age and at least 1 year prior to testing (M = 4.86 years, SD = 1.59). Children's performance on a PL and an expressive vocabulary task (which served as a control task), and parent report of child's EF and AF were examined at two time points 1 year apart (i.e., at age 8 and at age 9 years). Injury type (TBI vs. OI) significantly predicted child's social and conceptual, but not practical, AF. Results indicated that PL, and not expressive vocabulary or EF at time 1, mediated the relationship between injury type and both social and conceptual AF at time 2. A TBI during early childhood appears to subtly, but uniquely, disrupt complex language skills (i.e., PL), which in turn may disrupt subsequent social and conceptual AF in middle childhood. Additional longitudinal research that examines different aspects of PL and adaptive outcomes into adolescence is warranted.

Translator Trainees’ Reading Literacy, Problem Solving, and Translation Skills A Comparative Study

Abstract Linguistic and cultural mediators, such as translators, interpreters, and language teachers, need complex and well-developed language skills in all the languages they work with. In this study, we examine the connections and correlations among the following skills: reading literacy in native language, reading literacy in foreign language, problem solving and translation. Three of these skills (reading in native and foreign language and problem solving) are evaluated on a three-level scale based on the three cognitive processes used in Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) assessments (location of information, understanding, evaluation and reflection) (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development – OECD 2018). The methodology of measuring reading comprehension in native language and problem-solving skills has already been developed and applied by our research group (Pletl 2019, Harangus 2018); therefore, after assessing the foreign language reading literacy and translation skills, we will be able to analyse the translator trainees’ results based on the aforementioned three-level scale and examine possible connections and correlations between the different but interrelated skills. With an interdisciplinary approach, this study concentrates on revealing the overlaps and meeting points, the spaces in between the use of these skills.

Understanding Social Communication Differences in Autism Spectrum Disorder and First-Degree Relatives: A Study of Looking and Speaking

This study examined narrative ability in ASD and parents across two contexts differing in structure and emotional content, and explored gaze patterns that may underlie narrative differences by presenting narrative tasks on an eye tracker. Participants included 37 individuals with ASD and 38 controls, 151 parents of individuals with ASD and 63 parent controls. The ASD and ASD parent groups demonstrated lower narrative quality than controls in the less structured narrative task only. Subtler, context-dependent differences emerged in gaze and showed some associations with narrative quality. Results indicate a narrative ability profile that may reflect genetic liability to ASD, and subtle links between visual attention and complex language skills that may be influenced by ASD genetic risk.

Contribution of parenting to complex syntax development in preschool children with developmental delays or typical development.

Despite studies of how parent-child interactions relate to early child language development, few have examined the continued contribution of parenting to more complex language skills through the preschool years. The current study explored how positive and negative parenting behaviours relate to growth in complex syntax learning from child age 3 to age 4years, for children with typical development or developmental delays (DDs). Participants were children with or without DD (N=60) participating in a longitudinal study of development. Parent-child interactions were transcribed and coded for parenting domains and child language. Multiple regression analyses were used to identify the contribution of parenting to complex syntax growth in children with typical development or DD. Analyses supported a final model, F(9,50)=11.90, P<.001, including a significant three-way interaction between positive parenting behaviours, negative parenting behaviours and child delay status. This model explained 68.16% of the variance in children's complex syntax at age 4. Simple two-way interactions indicated differing effects of parenting variables for children with or without DD. Results have implications for understanding of complex syntax acquisition in young children, as well as implications for interventions.

Why do early mathematics skills predict later reading? The role of mathematical language.

A growing body of evidence indicates that the development of mathematics and literacy skills is highly related. The importance of literacy skills-specifically language-for mathematics development has been well rationalized. However, despite several prominent studies indicating that mathematics skills are highly predictive of literacy development, the reason for this relation is not well understood. The purpose of this study was to identify how and why early mathematics is predictive of early literacy development. Participants included 125 preschool children 3-5 years old (M = 4 years 3 months). Participants were assessed on mathematics, literacy, and cognitive measures in both the fall and spring of their preschool year. Mediation analyses indicated that the relation between early mathematics and literacy skills is mediated by children's mathematical language skills. These findings suggest that, in prior research identifying mathematical performance as a significant predictor of later literacy skills, mathematical performance may have acted only as a proxy measure for more complex language skills such as those assessed on a mathematical language measure. (PsycINFO Database Record

The relationship between common patterns of prenatal alcohol exposure and neurodevelopment in two‐year old children

Background: Around 60% of women drink some alcohol while pregnant. There is conflicting evidence on the effect on the fetus of common patterns of prenatal alcohol exposure (PAE) e.g. low level or sporadic drinking. Guidelines recommend abstinence as the safest option, creating problems for those advising women who drink at these levels before pregnancy recognition or beyond. The Asking QUestions about Alcohol (AQUA) study aimed to accurately measure PAE and account for important cofactors, to reduce uncertainty about child outcomes. Method: Detailed data on PAE were prospectively collected in a pre-birth cohort of over 1500 mother/child dyads. There was also extensive data collection of predictors of child development at one and two-year's post-partum. A sub-group of children was followed up at two years of age with a neurodevelopmental assessment (Bayley III). Two-step multivariable regression analyses of an effect of PAE accounted for independent risk factors that related to 1) pregnancy, including sociodemographic, psychologic and lifestyle variables such as diet and supplement use, and 2) the postnatal care-giving environment, including breastfeeding and maternal psychological wellbeing. Results: Adjustment for independent risk factors ameliorated any putative associations between PAE and cognitive, language and motor development in 554 two year-old children spread evenly across six PAE groups. Conclusions: Assessing neurodevelopmental outcomes associated with PAE is strongly influenced by other modifiable and non-modifiable risk factors. Although we found no adverse neurodevelopmental outcomes at two years of age, follow-up will be necessary in these children when complex higher-level cognitive, language and motor skills are required.

Pitch Perception in the First Year of Life, a Comparison of Lexical Tones and Musical Pitch.

Pitch variation is pervasive in speech, regardless of the language to which infants are exposed. Lexical tone is influenced by general sensitivity to pitch. We examined whether the development in lexical tone perception may develop in parallel with perception of pitch in other cognitive domains namely music. Using a visual fixation paradigm, 100 and one 4- and 12-month-old Dutch infants were tested on their discrimination of Chinese rising and dipping lexical tones as well as comparable three-note musical pitch contours. The 4-month-old infants failed to show a discrimination effect in either condition, whereas the 12-month-old infants succeeded in both conditions. These results suggest that lexical tone perception may reflect and relate to general pitch perception abilities, which may serve as a basis for developing more complex language and musical skills.