Predictors of language comprehension in preschool age

Bogešić, Mia. (2011). Predictors of language comprehension in preschool age. Diploma Thesis. Filozofski fakultet u Zagrebu, Department of Psychology. [mentor Keresteš, Gordana].

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Abstract

The aim of this study was to examine the contribution of some variables of the child and some family variables to language comprehension of preschool children. Data were collected in three kindergartens in Zagreb on a sample of 138 children (67 boys and 71 girls), in the age range of 47-68 months. The gender and age differences in language comprehension on a Verbal Comprehension Scale A from Reynell Developmental Language Scales, and differences in nonverbal intelligence in the subtest Matrix Reasoning from WPPSI-III (The Wechsler Preschool and Primary Scale of Intelligence - Third Edition) were tested. Statistically significant differences were found in language comprehension in favor of girls, and in language comprehension and nonverbal intelligence in favor of older children. The contribution of individual child characteristics (age, length of attending kindergarten and gender), cognitive status of the child (nonverbal intelligence) and family characteristics (mother's and father's level of education) to explaining variance in language comprehension were examined by means of hierarchical regression analysis. In the entire sample, 48.1% of the variance of language comprehension was explained and significant predictors were age, gender, nonverbal intelligence of the child and the mother's level of education. In the subsample of boys, significant predictors of language comprehension were age, nonverbal intelligence of the child and the mother's level of education, explaining 55.1% of the variance. In the subsample of girls, 34.6% of the variance of language comprehension was explained and significant predictors were age and nonverbal intelligence of children.

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