A preliminary analysis of the developmental vocabulary checklist data
Background: The current study explored whether the DVCs exhibit psychometric properties that allow for valid interpretation; the observed patterns of Mandarin and English vocabulary development from the DVC correspond with the expected patterns of the six categories of words (e.g., family members, b...
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| Format: | Final Year Project |
| Language: | English |
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Nanyang Technological University
2023
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| Online Access: | https://hdl.handle.net/10356/171902 |
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| Institution: | Nanyang Technological University |
| Language: | English |
| Summary: | Background: The current study explored whether the DVCs exhibit psychometric properties that allow for valid interpretation; the observed patterns of Mandarin and English vocabulary development from the DVC correspond with the expected patterns of the six categories of words (e.g., family members, body parts, animals and creatures, clothing, vehicles, food/drinks); and the amount of exposure to each language at home is related to children's Mandarin and English vocabulary development. Methods: A total of 137 parental reports from mothers and fathers for English and Mandarin DVC at the latest time point for 71 male children and 66 female children were utilised for this study’s analyses. The age range of the children ranged from 5 to 25 months. Findings: Results revealed that revised versions of the DVCs (with some items removed) do allow for valid interpretation of vocabulary size matrixes that differ across different categories and allow nuanced insights into the relationship between home language exposure and vocabulary development. Discussion: The revised Mandarin and English DVCs revealed the potential for more streamlined versions. Vocabulary development in both languages showed varying alignment with expected word categories. A particularly interesting finding was the stronger correlation observed between home language exposure and Mandarin vocabulary development compared to English. These analyses mark the initial exploration of DVC data, providing valuable insights for future research. Moreover, they underscore the critical role of early language exposure in shaping children's linguistic skills, especially in less prevalent languages within public domains like early childhood care and education.
Keywords: Singapore, Developmental Vocabulary Checklist, vocabulary size, language assessment, bilingual, children, multilingual, English, Chinese, proficiency, early development |
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