Differences In Language Skills Research Articles

Assessment of Linguistic Profile of Oral-Language-Proficient Hearing-Impaired Children Using Clinical Evaluation of Language Fundamentals: Fifth Edition (CELF5)

Background/Objectives: Specific tests for the assessment of language development and language skills in deaf children are scarce. For this reason, parent inventories and/or standardized tests that are reliable and valid in the hearing population are used. The main aim of this study was to assess the usefulness of the Clinical Evaluation of Language Fundamentals 5 (CELF5) in determining the language skills of hearing-impaired children in a comprehensive way in comparison to their hearing peers. Methods: The sample consisted of 70 deaf and 73 hearing children aged 5–11 years. Although the results show statistically significant differences in language skills between deaf and hearing children, deaf children scored around average on 8 of the 12 subtests of the CELF5. Results: Children using total communication modality had the highest scores, followed by those using oral language and sign language. The CELF5 subtests showed high internal consistency in the deaf group. A percentile scale was also developed for this population group. Conclusions: The CELF5 showed to be a reliable test for the assessment of receptive and expressive language in children with deafness who are competent in oral language. However, further research is needed to develop language assessment tests adapted to the deaf population that are sensitive to different communication modalities.

Overview of modern approaches to conflict management in distributed IT-projects

The article discusses the concept of conflict and the features of a distributed team working in conditions of geographical distance, cultural differences and communication barriers. The authors emphasize that these factors often cause conflicts in distributed teams, as they complicate the interaction between team members, lead to misunderstandings and reduce the effectiveness of joint work. It is noted that conflicts can be of different nature: from personal disputes to professional disagreements regarding the implementation of project tasks and goals. Regarding the concept of conflict, various definitions and concepts that have different interpretations were considered.The article pays special attention to the analysis of the causes of conflicts in distributed teams. In particular, the authors highlight such main factors as geographical distance, which makes direct communication difficult; cultural differences that can cause different interpretations of the same situations and actions; as well as communication barriers arising from differences in language skills and the use of different means of communication. Such factors contribute to the emergence of misunderstandings, reduce the level of trust and cooperation among team members, which negatively affects the effectiveness of projects.Creative approaches to conflict management are proposed, which include the use of modern tools to improve communication, promote cooperation and ensure effective information exchange between team members. The authors emphasize the importance of creating a favorable environment for open discussion of problems and active listening, which allows timely identification and resolution of conflicts.In addition, methods of a creative approach to conflict management, such as facilitation, mediation, and the use of technologies for virtual cooperation, are considered. These methods are aimed at minimizing the negative consequences of conflicts that can affect the development and outcome of the project. Strategies to minimize negative consequences include developing clear communication rules, holding regular meetings to discuss current issues, and using project management software. The prospect of further research is the development of models and methods of creative conflict management in distributed IT projects. This includes creating innovative approaches and tools to help resolve conflicts effectively with minimal loss to the team and the project. Such research may cover the following aspects: development of integrated communication platforms, analysis of cultural differences and their impact on team dynamics, implementation of facilitation and mediation methods, development of stress and emotion management techniques, creation of team dynamics models, study of the impact of different leadership styles, and development of policies and procedures for systematic conflict management.

Dialogic reading in preschool: a pragmatic randomized trial enrolling additional language learners

Additional language learners are at risk of presenting lower language skills in the majority language compared to peers. These differences in language skills have been observed at an early stage of education and may impact academic achievement later on. A randomized trial with a switching replications design was performed in Swedish preschools to examine the effectiveness of small group dialogic reading, aiming to promote oral language skills. The sample comprised 85 children with diverse language, socioeconomic, and cultural backgrounds attending nine preschools in three school districts. Dialogic reading was conducted by ten teachers, trained in dialogic reading and coached by three special education teachers. The dialogic reading intervention was feasible in preschool context and children progressed in their oral language skills during the intervention.

Comparative Analysis of English Language Proficiency in Business vs. Technology/Engineering Students

This study investigates English language proficiency among students in Business and Technology/Engineering programs. It aims to understand which discipline exhibits higher English proficiency and to explore the differences in language skills between these fields. The research employs descriptive and inferential statistical methods, including the Mann-Whitney U test, to analyze students’ English language proficiency scores in listening and reading. Results indicate that students in Technology/Engineering programs generally outperform those in Business programs in both listening and reading proficiency. The study finds significant disparities within each field; for example, in Business programs, students majoring in Marketing Management show much higher proficiency than those in Accountancy. Similarly, within Technology/Engineering, Civil Engineering students demonstrate higher language proficiency compared to their peers in Information Technology. The study concludes that there is a statistically significant difference in English language proficiency between students in Business and Technology/Engineering programs, with the latter group showing higher overall proficiency. This research provides valuable insights for educators and curriculum developers, suggesting the need for tailored English language support and teaching methods in different academic disciplines.

IDLaS-NL – A platform for running customized studies on individual differences in Dutch language skills via the Internet

We introduce the Individual Differences in Language Skills (IDLaS-NL) web platform, which enables users to run studies on individual differences in Dutch language skills via the Internet. IDLaS-NL consists of 35 behavioral tests, previously validated in participants aged between 18 and 30 years. The platform provides an intuitive graphical interface for users to select the tests they wish to include in their research, to divide these tests into different sessions and to determine their order. Moreover, for standardized administration the platform provides an application (an emulated browser) wherein the tests are run. Results can be retrieved by mouse click in the graphical interface and are provided as CSV file output via e-mail. Similarly, the graphical interface enables researchers to modify and delete their study configurations. IDLaS-NL is intended for researchers, clinicians, educators and in general anyone conducting fundamental research into language and general cognitive skills; it is not intended for diagnostic purposes. All platform services are free of charge. Here, we provide a description of its workings as well as instructions for using the platform. The IDLaS-NL platform can be accessed at www.mpi.nl/idlas-nl.

Examining The Preschool to First-Grade Literacy and Language Outcomes of Black Children Experiencing a High-Quality Early Childhood Program

This study examined the literacy trajectories of 185 Head Start-eligible Black children from preschool to first grade enrolled in a high-quality early learning program physically connected to an elementary school where they attended kindergarten and first grade. Social emotional, language, and literacy skills were assessed in the fall and spring of the school year in preschool and prekindergarten (PreK) and the fall only in kindergarten and first grade. Children made literacy and language gains in early childhood that were maintained into first grade. Although children in the connected early learning/elementary experience performed above peers on language and literacy skills, only differences in language skills reached significance. Advantages in kindergarten were gone by first grade as comparison children evidenced improvement of language skills that narrowed the performance gap. Findings point to the importance of creating clear academic pathways for young learners that prioritize instructional opportunities designed to maintain positive learning trajectories.

Individual Differences in Bilingual Child Language Acquisition: A plunge into a Complex and Dynamic Network.

Large individual differences in language skills are well documented in monolingual children (e.g., Kidd, Donnelly & Christiansen, 2018). In bilinguals, the broad variation is even more pronounced. Interestingly, some bilingual children might be weak in their Heritage Language (HL, also labeled as Minority Language, Home Language, Community Language), to which they have naturalistic exposure from birth. Others might be weak in their Societal Language (SL), the language of the surrounding and educational environment. Large individual differences are observed in neurotypical bilingually exposed children as well as in their bilingually raised peers with developmental language disorder, autism spectrum disorder, and hearing impairment (see also Armon-Lotem & Meir, 2016; Meir & Novogrodsky, 2020). Figure 1 visualizes individual differences in morphosyntactic skills of monolingual and bilingual children with typical language development aged 5;5-6;8 as indexed by the LITMUS Sentence Repetition tasks (the data are drawn from Armon-Lotem & Meir, 2016; Meir, 2018). While monolingual preschool children (MonoRU and MonoHE) show little variation, bilinguals with different levels of dominance (balanced bilinguals: BB; HL dominant: HL-D; SL dominant: SL-D) as determined by standardized tests exhibit large individual differences within each language and across their two languages.

A study on the effects of language and visual art integrated teaching on language learning performance and satisfaction of ethnic minority students in China.

Innovative technological products are present in students' environments. Information explosion and popularity are affecting their thoughts, and there is a large amount of information fuel in life through the Internet, television, movies, and advertisements. This phenomenon transforms reading from pure words into image. The current study was conducted using an experimental design model. A total of 188 ethnic minority students in the Hebei Province participated in the experimental study. The experimental group went through language and visual art integrated instruction, while the control group underwent traditional teaching. The experimental study lasted for 20 weeks (3 h per week). The research results showed that (1) spoken and written artistic conception was displayed through artistic expression. Ethnic minority students' differences in language skills and artistic expression were found to be the major factors that were effective in the production process. These aspects made the work richer and even more diversified. (2) After joining the classes and covering several lessons, ethnic minority students were found to be getting increasingly better in terms of integrating art vocabulary into their conversation. (3) Language and visual art integrated teaching input was a story content, which was received through "listening", while the outputs were individual opinions through "speaking". Their thoughts were presented through "painting". The creation process operated in the brain and reflected differences in terms of their thinking skills, vocabulary organizational skills, language use, and creativity. Based on the results, this study is expected to improve the language proficiency of ethnic minority students, enhance their artistic culture, and pave the way for their understanding and attitude toward language and literature.

Environmental noise, brain structure, and language development in children

While excessive noise exposure in childhood has been associated with reduced language ability, few studies have examined potential underlying neurobiological mechanisms that may account for noise-related differences in language skills. In this study, we tested the hypotheses that higher everyday noise exposure would be associated with 1) poorer language skills and 2) differences in language-related cortical structure. A socioeconomically diverse sample of children aged 5–9 (N = 94) completed standardized language assessments. High-resolution T1-weighted magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans were acquired, and surface area and cortical thickness of the left inferior frontal gyrus (IFG) and left superior temporal gyrus (STG) were extracted. Language Environmental Analysis (LENA) was used to measure levels of exposure to excessive environmental noise over the course of a typical day (n = 43 with complete LENA, MRI, and behavioral data). Results indicated that children exposed to excessive levels of noise exhibited reduced cortical thickness in the left IFG. These findings add to a growing literature that explores the extent to which home environmental factors, such as environmental noise, are associated with neurobiological development related to language development in children.

Bilingual and Monolingual Autistic Toddlers: Language and Social Communication Skills.

Parents of children diagnosed with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) express concern about raising their children bilingually, and often hear advice from professionals against the use of bilingualism. The current study examined the relation between bilingualism and the language and social communication skills of toddlers diagnosed with ASD (N = 353) in the US, while controlling for socioeconomic risk factors. Structural equation modeling showed no differences in language skills between bilingual Spanish-English speaking children and monolingual English-speaking (p = .596) or monolingual Spanish-speaking (p = .963) children and showed a bilingual advantage on socialization skills when comparing bilingual and monolingual English-speaking children (p = .001). Parents of autistic children exposed to Spanish and English should be encouraged to raise their child bilingually if it best suits familial needs.

A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of the Language Skills of Youth Offenders.

This systematic review and meta-analysis estimates the overall language skills of youth offenders involved with the juvenile justice system. Given the importance of this population, identifying avenues through which we can increase the likelihood of successful interventions is a necessary societal effort. Eighteen studies, representing data from 3,304 individuals, contributed 82 effect sizes to the current analytic sample. We used random-effects models to estimate the overall mean effect size metric to address each research question and fit meta-regression models for each moderator analysis. Results yielded that youth offenders presented with significantly lower language skills than their nonoffending peers (g = -1.26). Furthermore, high proportions of the present meta-analytic sample were classified as youth with moderate (50%) and severe (10%) language disorders. In general, differences in language skills did not vary as a function of age, gender, or language measure type. We did detect significant differences as a function of sample country and type of peer comparison group. This meta-analysis reports on the significantly compromised language skills of youth offenders. We conclude with a discussion of the findings and consideration of the implications for research and practice.

Women Participation in Rural Tourism: A Case of Ella, Sri Lanka

Tourism industry is one of sectors that have potential to develop and grow in the next few years in Sri Lanka. According to Tourism Development Strategy of Sri Lanka, tourism industry is expected to be the largest foreign exchange earner by 2024. The principal focus of this study was to explore major factors that affect women’s participation and non-participation in the hospitality industry in Ella DS division Sri Lanka. The study used a deductive approach, and primary data were collected through a self-administered structured questionnaire. Samples were 60 women, consisting of thirty women involved in the hospitality industry and thirty women of the non-hospitality industry, randomly selected. Results were analyzed using descriptive statistics and inferential statistics. The results found that the differences in language skills and problem-solving had the most significant effect on women’s participation in hospitality industry. Besides, childcare responsibility and lack of experience were affected women’s involvement in this industry. The results also showed that most of the non-hospitality workers have language barriers (33.3%), lack of knowledge about tourism industry (23.3%), and lack of opportunities to engage in tourism work (13.3%). Based on the results, 53.3% of 30 non-hospitality workers had an idea to be involved in tourism and hospitality industry in the future, while the remaining 46.6% had no idea to be involved.

The Effect of Motivation on Moroccan Secondary School students’ Language Proficiency

English language is considered as a global language, and with every single day, its users are increasing especially in the Arab world. The present study is exploratory in nature, investigating the effect of motivations on students’ English proficiency. It was meant to see whether there is any significant correlation between this variable as well as students’ English proficiency in the secondary level in Morocco. Additionally, it examines the extent to which there would be differences in language skills, domains and final foreign-language grades among high-school students completing a second year of English as a foreign-language in a foreign context such as the Moroccan one. Oral and written proficiency measures were adopted and administered by the researcher himself and with the help of participating teachers in addition to language supervisors (inspectors). The participants in this study are second year Moroccan EFL students enrolled for the school year 2017.The study incorporates quantitative as well as qualitative approach and has used a proficiency test, questionnaires besides an observational instrument to collect data from respondents. Initially, a total number of about 101 students participated in the study but only 78-ended taking part in the study. The data obtained has been quantitatively and qualitatively analyzed with ANOVA test of Fisher and the statistical package for the social sciences (SPSS). From the findings of the data, the study concludes that Moroccan students have overall differences among the two proficiency groups (High, Low) and study disciplines (Science or Letter). Conclusions and implications about connections among foreign-language proficiency language skills, attitudes, motivations are presented as well as discussed.

Individual Differences in Learning and Remembering

Humans or individuals are creatures that can be seen from a variety of viewpoints. An individual is a noun from an individual which means a person, individuals, and individuals. Individual differences, in general, are things that are relating to personal psychology that explains the psychological differences between people and their equals. Sources of individual differences are caused by innate factors and environmental factors. There are several different fields of difference individuals namely cognitive differences, differences in language skills, differences in motor skills, differences in background, differences in talent, differences in readiness defense, gender differences, personality differences, and learning style differences. Individual differences can be applied in several ways, namely using 12 educational services in accordance with the potential intelligence and special talents that are owned by students. Using an eclectic and flexible approach to advocacy, using a combination of cooperative learning, using multi-sensory tools to practice and obtain information.

A behavioural dataset for studying individual differences in language skills

This resource contains data from 112 Dutch adults (18–29 years of age) who completed the Individual Differences in Language Skills test battery that included 33 behavioural tests assessing language skills and domain-general cognitive skills likely involved in language tasks. The battery included tests measuring linguistic experience (e.g. vocabulary size, prescriptive grammar knowledge), general cognitive skills (e.g. working memory, non-verbal intelligence) and linguistic processing skills (word production/comprehension, sentence production/comprehension). Testing was done in a lab-based setting resulting in high quality data due to tight monitoring of the experimental protocol and to the use of software and hardware that were optimized for behavioural testing. Each participant completed the battery twice (i.e., two test days of four hours each). We provide the raw data from all tests on both days as well as pre-processed data that were used to calculate various reliability measures (including internal consistency and test-retest reliability). We encourage other researchers to use this resource for conducting exploratory and/or targeted analyses of individual differences in language and general cognitive skills.

Language Disparities Related to Maternal Education Emerge by Two Years in a Low-Income Sample.

Young children living in low-income households experience disparities in language development compared to their advantaged peers, with large differences in language skill by kindergarten entry. In this study, we sought to determine whether there were disparities in early language trajectories within a low-income sample of children from 9 to 36months as a function of maternal education. We hypothesized that children with more highly educated mothers would show accelerated language trajectories compared to children with less educated mothers. Using observational data collected from a longitudinal birth-cohort sample of 192 low-income mother-infant dyads in Ohio from 2014 to 2018, children's language skills were assessed at three time-points (ages 9-13months, 20-24months, and 32-36months). Multi-level growth curve models were used to examine early language trajectories through three years of age as a function of maternal education. Multilevel growth curve models showed distinct language trajectories: young low-income children have significantly better language skills at 15months if their mother had a college education compared to not, and this gap remained significant to almost 3years of age. Among young low-income children, disparities emerge in early language trajectories that differentiate children with less- versus more-educated mothers. Given that these disparities are apparent near the child's first birthday, it is necessary that pediatric care providers monitor children's early language trajectories and guide families to resources when lags are apparent.

The Application of Story Telling in Pre – School Children Towards Language Ability

The development of children under five is very important part. Various forms of disease, malnutrition, lack of and love stimulation at this age will lead a negative impact that persists until adulthood even to old age. The purpose of this study is to determine the differences in language skills of children with the treatment of story telling methods without story telling.
 The method this study used quasy experiment with pre test – post test design of treatment and control group. A sample of 50 children in the Nusantara and Kasih Bunda play ground in Sudimoro Village, Megaluh, Jombang. Sampling was carried out using a simple ramdom sampling.
 The results of study found that treatment group had an influence of story telling on language skills in pre-school children, whereas there were no differences in story telling of language skills in the treatment and control groups.

MEMAHAMI PERBEDAAN INDIVIDU PEBELAJAR DALAM PROSES BELAJAR MENGAJAR

The purpose of writing this article is to explain how education that understands the uniqueness of each student in individual learning or individual instruction. This writing method uses a descriptive analysis approach from a number of literatures from journals, books and other documents. There are four aspects of individual differences that must be considered by teachers and principals in a teaching and learning process that includes physical-motor differences, intelligence differences, differences in language skills, and psychological differences. Understanding individual differences here is by carrying out individualized instruction (individual learning). Also provides opportunities for children to learn independently (Independent Study) by developing individual learning (individual instruction) in accordance with the level of their needs.

Neural convergence of rhythm and language: From trait to state

As a growing literature has shed light on associations between cognitive mechanisms for music and language, an important role of rhythm and timing is emerging for individual differences in language skills in children. In this talk we will address: A) how musical rhythm relates to individual differences in spoken grammar traits in children ages 5 to 8; and B) potential neural synchronization by which an overlap in processing rhythm and language might occur. Results in the current study show strong correlations between musical rhythm perception and spoken grammar production, converging with prior work. In addition, we found that individual differences in neural synchronization to the speech envelope (measured with EEG) during passive listening are associated with performance on prosodic and musical rhythm behavioral task performance. Additional EEG data (during musical rhythm beat perception) has also been collected from N = 50 children with typical language development and N = 13 children with grammatical impairments (all children had non-verbal IQ in the normal range); data analysis is underway. In light of these studies and others showing that rhythmic listening can impact grammatical task performance, we will discuss other ongoing translational work that takes first steps towards exploring a causal influence of rhythm on grammar states.

The effect of sequential, comprehensive, preventive intervention on the development of premature infants′ intelligence

Objective To explore the effect of sequential and comprehensive preventative measures on the development of premature infants′ intelligence. Methods A cohort of 120 premature infants was randomly divided into an observation group and a control group, each of 60. Both groups were given routine premature infant care, but the observation group was additionally provided with sequential and comprehensive preventive intervention. It included neonatal screening, inpatient-outpatient link-up, and their parents′ watching CDs explaining early childhood education and health education. All of the infants were followed up from birth to 3 years old. Their adaptive capacity, fine motor skills, language acquisition, gross motor skills and social communication were evaluated at 12, 24 and 36 months old using a child intelligence developmental scale for neurological development. Development intelligence quotients (DQs) were calculated and compared. Results After 12 months, significant inter-group differences were observed in adaptability and fine motor control. At 24 and 36 months old there were also significant differences in language skills. At one, two and 3 years old the average DQ of the observation group was significantly higher than that of the control group. Significant within-group differences in average DQ were observed in both groups between 1 and 2 years old, but not between 2 and 3. Conclusion Intervention within two years after birth is critical for premature infants. Timely, sequential, integrated, preventive intervention can promote the development of intelligence and better life quality for premature infants. Key words: Premature infants; Preventative intervention; Intellectual development; Parent education