Reliability and validity evidence of the Assessment of Language Use in Social Contexts for Adults (ALUSCA)

Abstract

Background: The appropriate use of language in context depends on the speaker’s pragmatic language competencies. A coding system was used to develop a specific and adult-focused self-administered questionnaire to adults who stutter and adults who do not stutter, The Assessment of Language Use in Social Contexts for Adults, with three categories: precursors, basic exchanges, and extended literal/non-literal discourse. This paper presents the content validity, item analysis, reliability coefficients and evidences of construct validity of the instrument.

Methods: Content validity analysis was based on a two-stage process: first, 11 pragmatic questionnaires were assessed to identify items that probe each pragmatic competency and to create the first version of the instrument; second, items were assessed qualitatively by an expert panel composed by adults who stutter and controls, and quantitatively and qualitatively by an expert panel composed by clinicians. A pilot study was conducted with five adults who stutter and five controls to analyse items and calculate reliability. Construct validity evidences were obtained using the hypothesized relationships method and factor analysis with 28 adults who stutter and 28 controls.

Results: Concerning content validity, the questionnaires assessed up to 13 pragmatic competencies. Qualitative and quantitative analysis revealed ambiguities in items construction. Disagreement between experts was solved through item modification. The pilot study showed that the instrument presented internal consistency and temporal stability. Significant differences between adults who stutter and controls and different response profiles revealed the instrument’s underlying construct.

Conclusion: The instrument is reliable and presented evidences of construct validity.

keywords:

• Stuttering
• pragmatic competencies
• adults
• language

Disclosure statement

The authors report no declaration of interest.

Additional information

Funding

This study was developed as part of the PhD Thesis of the first author at the University of Aveiro, Portugal. This research was partly supported by a doctoral grant [SFRH/BD/78311/2011] from the Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (FCT) to Ana Rita S. Valente. This work was also supported by FCT, through CIDMA and IEETA, within projects UID/MAT/04106/2013, UID/CEC/00127/2013 and Incentivo/EEI/UI0127/2014.

Notes on contributors

Ana Rita S. Valente

Ana Rita S. Valente received her M.Sc. degree in Speech and Hearing Sciences in 2009 and Ph.D. in Psychology in 2018, both from the University of Aveiro in Portugal. Her current research interests are concerned with multidimensional assessment of stuttering.

Andreia Hall

Andreia Hall, Ph.D. in Probability and Statistics, is an Associate Professor at the Mathematics Department at the University of Aveiro since 2005. She is interested in Mathematical Education, Mathematics and the Arts, and Statistical Data Analysis. She collaborates regularly with the School of Health Sciences at the University of Aveiro.

Helena Alvelos

Helena Alvelos is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Economics, Management, Industrial Engineering and Tourism at the University of Aveiro and is a researcher at the Centre of Research and Development in Mathematics and Applications (CIDMA). Her current interests include data analysis, quality management and statistical quality control.

Margaret Leahy

Margaret Leahy, Associate Professor (retired) in Trinity College Dublin, The University of Dublin, specialising in Fluency Disorders. She is a staff member of the European Clinical Specialisation in Fluency Disorders (ECSF). Her research areas include Fluency and Stuttering, and Clinical Discourse.

Luis M. T. Jesus

Luis M. T. Jesus received his first degree in 1996 from the University of Aveiro, Portugal, the M.Sc. degree in Speech Coding and Synthesis in 1997 from the University of East Anglia, Norwich, UK, and the Ph.D. degree in Acoustic Phonetics in 2001 from the University of Southampton, UK.