Graduate Program

Aging Studies

Degree Name

Master of Science (MS)

Semester of Degree Completion

1980

Thesis Director

William Worthley

Thesis Committee Member

Unknown

Thesis Committee Member

Unknown

Abstract

An attempt was made to establish Thorsen's Primary Individual Language Screening Test (PILS) as a valid instrument for screening child language by comparing performance of a kindergarten population on the PILS and the Carrow Test of Auditory Comprehension of Language (TACL). Seventy-five subjects were administered both tests and correlational data was analyzed. If a statistically significant relationship existed, then one could assume that a score on the PILS would predict how one would do on the TACL. Test-retest reliability and intra- and inter-examiner reliability were examined. Discriptive statistical characteristics of the PILS scores and TACL scores were obtained for the population studied.

The results of the statistical analyses revealed that the PILS is not related to the TACL at a statistically significant level. The two tests are examining different aspects of language. The PILS is testing several items that deal with cognitive processing in the expressive mode, and the TACL with grammatical structures in the receptive mode. Skewness and kurtosis values of the items indicated that some were discriminating for age and sex groups. A wide standard deviation for both tests leads one to question if they differentiate between age and sex groups as a language test should. A Kruskal-Wallace analysis of variance also indicated this for the PILS. Analysis of the raw data revealed examiner reliability and score stability.

A general conclusion is that as it exists, now, the experimental form of the PILS is not a sensitive screening test. This author is suggesting that the PILS not be totally rejected. What is needed is careful study and revisions to make it a more valid and efficient assessment measurement. Recommendations are included.

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