Date of Award

2019-01-01

Degree Name

Master of Science

Department

Speech-Language Pathology

Advisor(s)

Connie Summers

Abstract

Purpose: Spanish versions of standardized tests used in language evaluations are not well studied. The purpose of this study is to further examine the appropriateness of the Preschool Language Scale, Fifth Edition Spanish (PLS-5S) in a U.S./Mexico border community by comparing the Dual language scores versus the Spanish only scores and comparing the normative sample of the PLS-5S to the population of El Paso, TX.

Method: Twenty-three bilingual preschool aged children in the El Paso area completed the Spanish Edition of the PLS-5S. The parents and teachers of the participants completed two language proficiency questionnaires (Bilingual Input Output Survey; BIOS and the Instrument to Assess Language Knowledge; ITALK).

Results: Paired t tests were conducted to compare the average of each score. The results showed significant differences (p < .001) between the Dual language scores and Spanish only scores. The results indicated that the subjects had significantly lower scores when looking at the Spanish only scores versus the Dual language scores.

Conclusion: The findings demonstrated that the children in El Paso, TX had inflated scores on the PLS-5S. This may be due to the PLS-5S normed to a majority of children who are monolingual Spanish speakers when compared to the children of a border community who are bilingual in English and Spanish. These differences in the norms could lead to an under identification of children with language impairment. Caution should be taken when using this assessment.

Language

en

Provenance

Received from ProQuest

File Size

31 pages

File Format

application/pdf

Rights Holder

Callie Mae Mathis

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