ERIC Number: EJ1156833
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2017-Oct
Pages: 15
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0161-1461
EISSN: N/A
Stimulus Characteristics of Single-Word Tests of Children's Speech Sound Production
Macrae, Toby
Language, Speech, and Hearing Services in Schools, v48 n4 p219-233 Oct 2017
Purpose: This clinical focus article provides readers with a description of the stimulus characteristics of 12 popular tests of speech sound production. Method: Using significance testing and descriptive analyses, stimulus items were compared in terms of the number of opportunities for production of all consonant singletons, clusters, and rhotic and nonrhotic vowels of Standard American English; phonetic/phonological and structural complexity; and the presence of bound morphemes. Results: The tests varied widely in terms of the number of opportunities for production of consonant singletons, clusters, and rhotic and nonrhotic vowels. Most of the tests included only 1 opportunity, scored or unscored, to produce a majority of the consonant singletons in each word position. Only 3 of the tests included stimulus items with 3-element clusters. The majority contained limited opportunities to produce 3- or 4-syllable stimulus items. The tests provided sufficient opportunities for production of most vowels, although most did not score vowels. The tests differed significantly in the complexity of their stimulus items. Most, however, contained a negligible number of items that, with the addition of a bound morpheme, resulted in a word-final cluster. Conclusion: Most of the tests elicit an inadequate sample with which to conduct a comprehensive phonological analysis.
Descriptors: Stimuli, Morphemes, Phonemes, Vowels, Phonetics, Syllables, Phonology, Speech, Children, Speech Tests, Comparative Analysis
American Speech-Language-Hearing Association. 2200 Research Blvd #250, Rockville, MD 20850. Tel: 301-296-5700; Fax: 301-296-8580; e-mail: lshss@asha.org; Web site: http://lshss.pubs.asha.org
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A