Publication Date

Spring 2018

Advisor(s) - Committee Chair

Drs. Janice Smith (Director), Lauren Bland, and Jo Shackelford

Degree Program

Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders

Degree Type

Master of Science

Abstract

The current study examined two methods of language sampling (interview and the Dixit Method) in early adolescents with typical language development. The purpose of this study was to examine the effectiveness of the two procedures in eliciting lexical diversity in spoken language samples in the early adolescent population. To examine lexical diversity, traditional methods of analysis (type token ratio, average type token ratio, and mean length of utterance) were applied. However, because literature historically alludes to flaws in these traditional methods, the researchers also applied an ecological approach to analysis of lexical diversity proposed by Scott Jarvis (2013). Student participants (n = 22) in the sixth grade (11:0 -12:11 years of age) were recruited through a local middle school. Both methods of language sampling were compared in a within-subject design for diversity of spoken language samples by applying the previously mentioned analysis procedures. The data was evaluated using a pairedsamples two-tailed t test. Although the sample size was small, evidence from this study indicates the Dixit Method provides a more holistic view of lexical diversity than the traditional method by considering six ecological components that are reflected in typical language use.

Disciplines

Communication Sciences and Disorders | Speech and Hearing Science | Speech Pathology and Audiology

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