The Contribution of Vocabulary, Grammar, and Phonological Awareness Across a Continuum of Narrative Ability Levels in Young Children

Khan, K. S., Logan, J., Justice, L. M., Bowles, R. P., & Piasta, S. B. (2021). The Contribution of Vocabulary, Grammar, and Phonological Awareness Across a Continuum of Narrative Ability Levels in Young Children. Journal of Speech, Language, and Hearing Research, 1-15.

 

Storytelling, or narrative ability, is a complex task that relies on many linguistic and cognitive skills. Oral language skills such as vocabulary, grammar, and phonological awareness support a child’s ability to both construct a story and retell a story. As these lower-level language components (i.e., vocabulary, grammar, phonological awareness) develop, increases are seen in the complexity of a child’s narrative language skills. Prior research has demonstrated strong associations between vocabulary, grammar, phonological awareness, and narrative skills. However, what is less known about the relationship is what unique contribution to narrative ability comes from each vocabulary, grammar, and phonological awareness and if specific associations among these lower-level skills vary at different points along the range of narrative ability.

 

In this study, 336 preschool and school age children completed an assessment battery to evaluate narrative ability, vocabulary, grammar, and phonological awareness. A narrative index was derived to reflect narrative skill while controlling for differences in age. Results demonstrated that combined vocabulary, grammar, and phonological awareness contributed to 13% of the variance in the narrative index. To understand any specific associations between the lower-level skills and the range of narrative ability, the authors looked at these associations for children preforming below average, at average, and above average on the narrative index. They found interesting differences across profile. For below average profiles, phonological awareness and vocabulary accounted for significant variance in narrative scores. For average profiles, grammar and vocabulary accounted for significant variance, and for above average profiles, only vocabulary accounted for a significant amount of the variance in narrative scores.

 

Clinically, it is interesting to note that different lower-level language skills accounted for a significant amount of the variance in narrative ability at differing skill levels. Further research has the potential to enhance our understanding for identifying specific targets in therapy depending on skill level. These findings also highlight the importance of vocabulary knowledge at any skill level. This research increases our understanding of the relationship between lower-level language skills and narrative ability.

                          

Blogger: Meghan Vollebregt is a student in the combined SLP MClSc/PhD program working under the supervision of Dr. Lisa Archibald.