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Call number: LD2668 .T4 1978 S37 / Master of Science

This study sought to examine the relationships between the adult language input, as measured by quantity and quality, and the child’s language production in regards to quantity and quality, as well as their knowledge of basic concepts and vocabulary. LENA technology was used to audio-record the language environments of 26 preschool children with hearing loss over two days (weekday and weekend). This technology recorded up to 16 hours and analyzed the quantitative data associated with the adult word count (AWC), conversational turn count (CTC), and child vocalization count (CVC). Furthermore, one- hour meal times (30 minutes for the weekday/snack time and 30 minutes for the weekend/dinner time) was transcribed and coded for quality components of language defined as lexical diversity, syntactical complexity and clausal complexity. Additionally, the children were assessed on their knowledge of basic concepts through the Boehm Test of Basic Concepts (BTBC-3) and the Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test (PPVT-4). Results indicated that there was a relationship between the adult language input and the child language production, but only in regards to quantity of language. More specifically, the CTC during each day was related to the CVC for each day; in other words, the more interactions adults and children had during the day, the more likely the child vocalized. Interestingly, the statistical analysis revealed that quality of adult language input was not significantly related to the child language variables. However, significant differences between the teachers and caregivers were reported in regards to the quality of adult language input. These results suggest that the language input provided by adults in different environments (school versus home) is considerably different and warrants further investigation as how the potential influence on language outcomes of children with hearing loss.

The purpose of this study was to compare PPVT scores of Black children and language delayed White children in order to determine whether the patterning of errors can be differentiated between the two groups. The study involved twenty Black children and twenty language delayed White children between the ages of six years, six months, and seven years, six months. The subjects were from families of lower socioeconomic status. The White subjects were given the Utah Test of Language Development to establish degree of language delay. The study was designed to determine whether either the language delayed White subjects or the Black subjects would miss any items on the PPVT significantly more often than the other group. The study sought to determine whether either group consistently made the same incorrect choice on items which they miss more frequently than the other group. Finally, the study was conducted to find whether the mean ceiling item reached by the two groups would be significantly different. The results of the study indicate the patterning of errors cannot be differentiated between the two groups. No significant difference was present between the mean ceiling item reached by the groups, and only two test items were missed significantly more often by the language delayed White subjects than by the Black subjects. It is postulated that factors which might influence PPVT results in the Black population, as well as the White population, are: 1) the mean level of education of the community; 2) the residential stability of the population; and 3) the regional area from which new residents migrate.