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2-149 - Language Science Meets New Technology: Measuring Early Language to Advance Research and Practice

Fri, March 22, 1:00 to 2:30pm, Hilton Baltimore, Floor: Level 2, Key 2

Session Type: Paper Symposium

Integrative Statement

The vast field of language science, from basic research to research-informed interventions, relies on early assessments of language competence. These assessments traditionally have not capitalized on new technology; yet, technology can make tests quicker, easier to administer, more fun for the child, and can provide information that would otherwise be unattainable. This symposium presents findings from three language assessments that integrate language acquisition theory and new technology.

The first paper demonstrates how technology-based language assessments provide new insights into language development. Preschoolers tested on the tablet-based Quick Interactive Language Screener (QUILS) forget all but their first guess when learning novel words (Aravind et al., 2018). Building on this finding, the authors utilize a downward extension of QUILS to ask whether this “one-track” learning process is used by 2-year-olds.

The second paper explores how a technology-based instrument could be effective for early identification of children with language difficulties. The authors examine whether language skills at age 3 and kindergarten readiness at age 4 are predicted by performance 1-2 years earlier on the Computerized Comprehension Task (CCT).

The third paper investigates the use of technology-based tests for evaluating the efficacy of language intervention. The authors present findings from a touchscreen-based receptive vocabulary measure that was tailored by design to an intervention aimed at improving the language skills of preschoolers from low-income families.

Finally, our discussant integrates these findings, focusing on the value of new technology-based language assessments for advancing research and practice.

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