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. 2019 Jan-Mar;8(1):24-39.
doi: 10.1080/21622965.2017.1378579. Epub 2017 Oct 12.

Measurement of expressive vocabulary in school-age children: Development and application of the Kilifi Naming Test (KNT)

Patricia Kitsao-Wekulo  1   2   3 , Penny A Holding  3 , Jane D Kvalsvig  4 , Katherine J Alcock  5 , H Gerry Taylor  6
Affiliations

Measurement of expressive vocabulary in school-age children: Development and application of the Kilifi Naming Test (KNT)

Patricia Kitsao-Wekulo et al. Appl Neuropsychol Child. 2019 Jan-Mar.

Abstract

The dearth of locally developed measures of language makes it difficult to detect language and communication problems among school-age children in sub-Saharan African settings. We sought to describe variability in vocabulary acquisition as an important element of global cognitive functioning. Our primary aims were to establish the psychometric properties of an expressive vocabulary measure, examine sources of variability, and investigate the measure's associations with non-verbal reasoning and educational achievement. The study included 308 boys and girls living in a predominantly rural district in Kenya. The developed measure, the Kilifi Naming Test (KNT), had excellent reliability and acceptable convergent validity. However, concurrent validity was not adequately demonstrated. In the final regression model, significant effects of schooling and area of residence were recorded. Contextual factors should be taken into account in the interpretation of test scores. There is need for future studies to explore the concurrent validity of the KNT further.

Keywords: Contextual factors; Kilifi Naming Test; expressive vocabulary; reliability; resource-limited settings; school-age children.

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Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.
Steps in creation of KNT item pool.
Figure 2.
Figure 2.
Age effects on KNT performance.
Figure 3.
Figure 3.
Examples of pictures used on the KNT.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

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