Date of Award
Summer 2023
Document Type
Open Access Thesis
Department
Public Health
First Advisor
Lisa Fitton
Abstract
This study aimed to evaluate the relation between bilingual Spanish-English speaking children’s self-reported language proficiencies and bilingual experiences and their scores on norm-referenced standardized dual-language assessments. Additionally, the relation between bilingual children’s self-reported language proficiencies and bilingual experiences and parent reports of children’s Spanish and English input and output was examined. The Houston Questionnaire, a novel tool designed to provide insight into bilingual children’s self-perceptions of language proficiencies and experiences, was administered to gather such information for this study. A sample of bilingual children local to Columbia, South Carolina completed a battery of dual-language standardized assessments in kindergarten, and then completed the Houston Questionnaire at the start of Grade 1. The results of this study suggest that children’s scores on dual-language standardized assessments are significantly correlated to their self-perceived experiences with Spanish and English. Additionally, children’s self-reported bilingual experiences, including Spanish and English input and output, were closely aligned with parent reports of language exposure. The gathered results suggest that speech-language pathologists should include bilingual in the bilingual evaluation process when making diagnostic decisions about language ability, as bilingual children may provide information regarding their exposures to, and experiences with, Spanish and English.
Rights
© 2023, Andrea Elise Vargas
Recommended Citation
Vargas, A. E.(2023). The Correlation Between Bilingual Children’s Self-Reported Language Proficiency and Their Scores on Dual-Language Standardized Assessments. (Master's thesis). Retrieved from https://scholarcommons.sc.edu/etd/7464