First and second language sentence repetition: a screening measure for dual language learners?

Abstract

The sentence repetition (SR) test is considered as a promising diagnostic tool for detecting language proficiency in monolingual learners, but less is known about its potential to identify dual language learners’ (DLLs) linguistic proficiency. Considering that challenges with language learning, such as developmental language disorders (DLDs), is evident in both first and second language (L1 and L2), it is important to use tools that can assess language functions in both languages whenever feasible.

We found that students’ L1 and L2 SR performance levels draw upon their phonological short-term memory capacity, vocabulary and grammar skills in the language being assessed. We also found a positive relationship between students’ L1 phonological memory and L2 SR scores, suggesting that DLLs’ phonological short-term memory capacity assessed in their L1 indicates individual differences in short-term verbal memory that support SR performance, as assessed in L2.

The results highlight a challenge in both research and clinical settings which often use monolingual assessment tools and associated norms to identify DLLs who might be at risk of developing DLDs or other learning difficulties.

Keywords:

• Assessment
• dual language learners
• developmental language disorders
• sentence repetition

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Notes

1 Children in Norway generally begin nursery/preschool as 1-year-olds until they start school at age 6, but preschool attendance is not compulsory.

2 Albania = 4, Somalia = 24, Sri Lanka (Tamil) = 1, Turkey = 5, Pakistan (Urdu) = 5 and Vietnam = 3.

3 Given the N = 14 only, the participants are merged into two age-groups

4 Permission for translation for research purposes in this project was provided by the study authors, E. Ottem and J. Frost, for sentence repetition, word span and expressive vocabulary by the GL Assessment for the British Picture Vocabulary Scale (BPVS-II) and by Pearson for TROG-2 Test for the reception of grammar.

5 Additional information is avilaiable in Appendix 1.

6 •••

7 Students scoring low on L1: Albanian = 5; Somali = 4; Tamil = 9; Turkish = 0; Urdu = 5; and Vietnamese = 22. Students scoring low on L2: Albanian = 2; Somali = 10; Tamil = 2; Turkish = 6; Urdu = 15; and Vietnamese = 6. Students scoring low on both L1 and L2 sentence repetition: Somali = 1; Tamil = 2; and Vietnamese = 2.