Document Type : Original Articles

Authors

1 Rehabilitation Research Center , Ahvaz Jundishapur University of Medical Sciences, Ahvaz, Iran.

2 Department of Speech Therapy, School of Rehabilitation Sciences, Ahvaz Jundishapur University of Medical Sciences, Ahvaz, Iran

3 Department of Speech Therapy, School of Rehabilitation Sciences, Ahvaz Jundishapur University of Medical Sciences, Ahvaz, Iran.

Abstract

Background: In the Persian language, limited tasks measure the skill of repeating real words along with non-words. However, clinical centers need such tests to investigate speech and language problems in children accurately. The present study prepared two real-word/non-word lists, and their psychometric properties were determined.
Methods: This methodological and cross-sectional study involved preparing 120 speech contexts (60 words and 60 non-words), which were then divided into two equivalent lists (List 1 and List 2). The content validity of these lists was determined. To check consistency and reliability, the lists were administered in two sessions at one-week intervals to 50 normal children aged 4 to 6 years from preschool centers in Ahvaz city. The children were asked to repeat each speech context after hearing it. Cronbach's alpha, test-retest reliability, and equivalent form reliability were calculated.
        Results: The content validity ratio of both lists was 1. Cronbach's alpha coefficients for Lists 1 and 2 were 0.792 and 0.790, respectively. The repeatability coefficients for Lists 1 and 2 were 0.70 and 0.71, respectively, and both were significant (p = 0.000). The difference between the two lists' average scores was insignificant (t = -0.67, p > 0.05). Age (but not gender) caused a significant difference in repetition scores.
Conclusion: The prepared real-word/non-word lists for evaluating repetition skills are valid and reliable. They can be used for clinical and research purposes in Persian-speaking preschoolers, especially those aged 4 to 5.
 

Highlights

 

Keywords

  1. Dispaldro M, Leonard LB, Deevy P. Real-word and nonword repetition in Italian-speaking children with specific language impairment: a study of diagnostic accuracy. J Speech Lang Hear Res. 2013 Feb;56(1):323-36.
  2. Skoyles JR. Mapping of heard speech into articulation information and speech acquisition. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2010 May 4;107(18):E73; author reply E74.
  3. Sierpowska J, Gabarrós A, Fernandez-Coello A, Camins À, Castañer S, Juncadella M, et al. Words are not enough: nonword repetition as an indicator of arcuate fasciculus integrity during brain tumor resection. J Neurosurg. 2017 Feb;126(2):435-445.
  4. Anjarningsih HY, Puryanti F. A preliminary study: Word and non-word repetition tasks in children with speech delay. IJHS. 2022 Jan 26;7(1):141-154.
  5. Santos FHd, Bueno OFA, Gathercole S. Errors in nonword repetition: bridging short-and long-term memory. Braz J Med Biol Res. 2006 Mar; 39 (3): 371-85.
  6. Logan GD. Repetition priming and automaticity: Common underlying mechanisms? Cognitive Psychology. 1990;22(1):1-35.
  7. Gathercole SE, Willis CS, Baddeley AD, Emslie H. The Children's Test of Nonword Repetition: a test of phonological working memory. Memory. 1994 Jun;2(2):103-27.
  8. Coady JA, Evans JL. Uses and interpretations of non-word repetition tasks in children with and without specific language impairments (SLI). Int J Lang Commun Disord. 2008 Jan-Feb;43(1):1-40.
  9. Archibald LM, Joanisse MF. On the sensitivity and specificity of nonword repetition and sentence recall to language and memory impairments in children. J Speech Lang Hear Res. 2009 Aug;52(4):899-914.
  10. Metsala J. Young children’s phonological awareness and nonword repetition as a function of vocabulary development. Journal of Educational Psychology. 1999; 91(1): 3-19.
  11. Rodekohr RK, Haynes WO. Differentiating dialect from disorder: a comparison of two processing tasks and a standardized language test. J Commun Disord. 2001 May-Jun;34(3):255-72.
  12. Dispaldro M, Deevy P, Altoé G, Benelli B, Leonard LB. A cross-linguistic study of real-word and non-word repetition as predictors of grammatical competence in children with typical language development. Int J Lang Commun Disord. 2011 Sep-Oct;46(5):564-78.
  13. Chiat S, Roy P. The preschool repetition test: an evaluation of performance in typically developing and clinically referred children. J Speech Lang Hear Res. 2007 Apr;50(2):429-43.
  14. Vaden KI Jr, Piquado T, Hickok G. Sublexical properties of spoken words modulate activity in Broca's area but not superior temporal cortex: implications for models of speech recognition. J Cogn Neurosci. 2011 Oct;23(10):2665-74.
  15. Maridaki-Kassotaki, K. The relation between phonological memory skills and reading ability in greek-speaking children: Can training of phonological memory contribute to reading development?. Eur J Psychol Educ. 2002 Mar; 17: 63–73.
  16. Dillon CM, Pisoni DB. Non word Repetition and Reading Skills in Children Who Are Deaf and Have Cochlear Implants. Volta Rev. 2006 Fall;106(2):121-145.
  17. Selin C, Jackson Y. Adversity effects on nonword repetition skills: A proxy measure of language and reading ability. Child Abuse Negl. 2023 Aug;142(Pt 1):105919.
  18. Santos FH, Bueno OF. Validation of the Brazilian Children's Test of Pseudoword Repetition in Portuguese speakers aged 4 to 10 years. Braz J Med Biol Res. 2003 Nov;36(11):1533-47.
  19. Gardner H, Froud K, McClelland A, van der Lely HK. Development of the Grammar and Phonology Screening (GAPS) test to assess key markers of specific language and literacy difficulties in young children. Int J Lang Commun Disord. 2006 Sep-Oct;41(5):513-40. doi: 10.1080/13682820500442644
  20. Sayyahi F, Soleymani Z, Mahmoudi-Bakhtiyari B, Jalaie S. Providing a non word repetition test in 4-years-old Persian children and determining its validity and reliability. Audiol. 2011;20(2):47-53. [in Persian].
  21. Afshar, M. R., Ghorbani, A., Jalilevand, N., Kamali, M. Providing the Non-Word Repetition test and determining its validity and reliability and comparing phonological working memory in 4 to 6 Farsi-speaking normal and SSD children in Tehran City. JRRS, 2014 Jan; 9(5): 899-911. [in Persian].
  22. Moossavi A, Khavarghazalani B, Lotfi Y, Mehrkian S, Bakhshi E, Mahmoodi Bakhtiari B. Validity and reliability of a non-sense syllable test for evaluating phonological working memory in Persian speaking children. Aud Vestib Res. 2017;23(4):31-3. [in Persian].
  23. Bakhtiar M, Abad AD, Panahi MS. Nonword repetition ability of children who do and do not stutter and covert repair hypothesis. Indian J Med Sci. 2007 Aug;61(8):462-70.
  24. Arani Kashani Z, Ghorbani A. Auditory test of phonological awareness skills (ASHA-5) for 5-6 years old Persian speaking children. . Tehran, Iran: Setayesh Hasti. 2009. [in Persian].
  25. Yusoff MSB. ABC of content validation and content validity index calculation. EIMJ. 2019;11(2):49-54.
  26. Bakhtiyari J, Dadgar H, Khatoonabadi AR, Ghorbani R. Survey of auditory discrimination skill in 4-6 years old children in Semnan city. MRJ. 2012;6(2):37-42. [in Persian].
  27. Ayre C, Scally AJ. Critical values for Lawshe’s content validity ratio: revisiting the original methods of calculation. Meas Eval Couns Dev. 2014;47(1):79-86.
  28. Zamanzadeh V, Ghahramanian A, Rassouli M, Abbaszadeh A, Alavi-Majd H, Nikanfar AR. Design and Implementation Content Validity Study: Development of an instrument for measuring Patient-Centered Communication. J Caring Sci. 2015 Jun 1;4(2):165-78.
  29. Lawshe CH. A quantitative approach to content validity. Personnel psychology. 1975;28(4):563-75.
  30. Keshmiri F, Mehrparvar AH. Development of an interprofessional task-based learning program in the field of occupational health: a content validity study. BMC Med Educ. 2023 Jan 7;23(1):11.
  31. Terwee CB, Bot SD, de Boer MR, van der Windt DA, Knol DL, Dekker J, et al. Quality criteria were proposed for measurement properties of health status questionnaires. J Clin Epidemiol. 2007 Jan;60(1):34-42.
  32. Ziatabar Ahmadi Z, Arani Kashani Z, Mahmoodi Bakhtiari B, Keyhani M R. Study of the Ability of First Phoneme Identify of Words and Nonwords in Normal 5-6 Year-old Persian-speaking Children. Advances in Cognitive Sciences 2011; 12 (4) :25-35. [in Persian].
  33. Singh S, Ganie AH. Applications of a picture fuzzy correlation coefficient in pattern analysis and decision-making. Granul. Comput. 2022;7(2):353–67.
  34. Cychosz M, Erskine M, Munson B, Edwards J. A lexical advantage in four-year-old children's word repetition. J Child Lang. 2021 Jan;48(1):31-54.