HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS		QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced] Author: Keyword(s): Year:  Vol:  Page:

This Article Full Text Full Text (PDF) Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal My Folders Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Justice, L. M. Articles by Skibbe, L. E. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Justice, L. M. Articles by Skibbe, L. E. Social Bookmarking                         What's this?

Measuring Preschool Attainment of Print-Concept Knowledge: A Study of Typical and At-Risk 3- to 5-Year-Old Children Using Item Response Theory

Contact author: Laura M. Justice, Box 400873, Preschool Language and Literacy Lab, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA 22904-4873. E-mail: ljustice{at}virginia.edu

PURPOSE: This research determined the psychometric quality of a criterion-referenced measure that was thought to measure preschoolers' print-concept knowledge (PCK).

METHOD: This measure, titled the Preschool Word and Print Awareness (PWPA), was examined using the partial credit model (PCM) to determine its suitability for use by clinicians, educators, and researchers. The extent to which the PWPA differentiated estimates of PCK for at-risk populations on the basis of socioeconomic status (SES) and language ability was also studied. The sample population was one-hundred twenty-eight 3- to 5-year-old children who varied in SES (middle, low) and language ability (typical language, language impairment) as derived from several previous or ongoing studies of emergent literacy intervention.

RESULTS: The PCM fit analyses showed good fit between the overall data and the PCM, indicating that the PWPA provided a valid estimate of the latent PCK trait. SES and language ability were significant predictors of PWPA scores when age was used as a covariate. These results showed the PWPA to be suitable for measuring preschoolers' PCK and to be sensitive to differences among children as a function of risk status.

CLINICAL IMPLICATIONS: The results show the PWPA to be an appropriate instrument for clinical and educational use with preschool children.

KEY WORDS: emergent literacy, assessment, print awareness, preschool children, specific language impairment

CiteULike    Connotea    Del.icio.us    Digg    Facebook    Reddit    Technorati    Twitter    What's this?

This article has been cited by other articles:

				T. A. Zucker, L. M. Justice, and S. B. Piasta Prekindergarten Teachers' Verbal References to Print During Classroom-Based, Large-Group Shared Reading Lang Speech Hear Serv Sch, October 1, 2009; 40(4): 376 - 392. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				S. Q. Cabell, L. M. Justice, T. A. Zucker, and C. R. Kilday Validity of Teacher Report for Assessing the Emergent Literacy Skills of At-Risk Preschoolers Lang Speech Hear Serv Sch, April 1, 2009; 40(2): 161 - 173. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				A. S. McGinty and L. M. Justice Predictors of Print Knowledge in Children With Specific Language Impairment: Experiential and Developmental Factors J Speech Lang Hear Res, February 1, 2009; 52(1): 81 - 97. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				S. Q. Cabell, L. M. Justice, T. A. Zucker, and A. S. McGinty Emergent Name-Writing Abilities of Preschool-Age Children With Language Impairment Lang Speech Hear Serv Sch, January 1, 2009; 40(1): 53 - 66. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				L. E. Skibbe, K. J. Grimm, T. L. Stanton-Chapman, L. M. Justice, K. L. Pence, and R. P. Bowles Reading Trajectories of Children With Language Difficulties From Preschool Through Fifth Grade Lang Speech Hear Serv Sch, October 1, 2008; 39(4): 475 - 486. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]