Acquiring the Language of Learning: The Performance of Hawaiian Preschool Children on the Preschool Language Assessment Instrument (PLAI).
Saved in:
| Title: | Acquiring the Language of Learning: The Performance of Hawaiian Preschool Children on the Preschool Language Assessment Instrument (PLAI). |
|---|---|
| Language: | English |
| Authors: | Martini, Mary |
| Peer Reviewed: | N |
| Page Count: | 52 |
| Publication Date: | 1994 |
| Sponsoring Agency: | Kamehameha Schools/Bernice Pauahi Bishop Estate, Honolulu, HI. |
| Document Type: | Reports - Research |
| Descriptors: | Comparative Analysis, Error Analysis (Language), Language Processing, Language Tests, Language Usage, Lower Class, Middle Class, Preschool Children, Preschool Education |
| Geographic Terms: | Hawaii |
| Abstract: | The Preschool Language Assessment Instrument (PLAI) was designed as a diagnostic tool for 3- to 6-year-old children to assess children's abilities to use language to solve thinking problems typically posed by teachers. The PLAI was developed after observing middle-class teachers in preschool classrooms encourage children to use language in different ways. The differences in the use of language were grouped into 4 levels of difficulty, and the PLAI consists of 60 items selected from these 4 levels. The performance of 60 Hawaiian preschool children on this test was assessed at the four levels: (1) Matching Perception; (2) Selective Analysis of Perception; (3) Reordering Perception; and (4) Reasoning about Perception. Overall, the children performed better on tasks at lower levels of complexity than on tasks at higher levels. The group's performance was compared to that of a sample of mainly white upper-middle-class, 3- to 4-year-old children attending private preschools; and to a second sample of primarily black or Puerto Rican lower class, 3- to 4-year-old children attending public day care centers. At all four levels, the Hawaiian children scored to varying degrees higher than the lower class sample but lower than the middle class sample. Eight tables and one figure are included. (BAC) |
| Entry Date: | 1995 |
| Accession Number: | ED385345 |
| Database: | ERIC |
Be the first to leave a comment!
