"Conceptual Scoring and Classification Accuracy of Vocabulary Testing in Bilingual Children"

Professor Elizabeth Peña has published with colleagues Jissel B. Anaya and Lisa M. Bedore in Language, Speech, and Hearing Services in Schools: Conceptual Scoring and Classification Accuracy of Vocabulary Testing in Bilingual Children.
 
Summary
 
This study examined the effects of single-language and conceptual scoring on the vocabulary performance of bilingual children with and without specific language impairment. Participants included Spanish–English bilingual children (N = 247) aged 5;1 (years;months) to 11;1 with and without specific language impairment. Children completed the English and bilingual versions of the Expressive One-Word Picture Vocabulary Test–Third Edition (Brownell, 2000a, 2001). Six scores, 2 representing monolingual scores in English and Spanish and 4 conceptual scores, were derived. The conceptual scores included within-test conceptual scores, which credited language responses in the other language during test administration, and across-test conceptual scores, which we compiled by examining responses across independent administrations of the test in each language.
 
Across-test conceptual scoring resulted in the highest scores and better overall classification, sensitivity, and specificity than within-test conceptual scoring. Both were superior to monolingual scoring; however, none of the methods achieved minimum standards of 80% accuracy in sensitivity and specificity. Results suggest that bilingual children are not always able to readily access their other language in confrontation naming tasks. Priming or inhibition may play a role in test performance. Across-test conceptual scoring yielded the highest classification accuracy but did not meet minimum standards.
 
Anaya, J. B., Peña, E. D., & Bedore, L. M. (December 2017). Conceptual scoring and classification accuracy of vocabulary testing in bilingual children. Language, Speech, and Hearing Services in Schools. doi:10.1044/2017_LSHSS-16-0081