Sentence Comprehension Performance in Malay School-Age Children: A Preliminary Study
Abstract
When children struggle in understanding what they hear, it hinders them from learning optimally, which subsequently impacts their academic performance, and socially, their ability to develop friendships. The aim of the study was to examine children’s ability in comprehending Malay sentences using a newly developed sentence comprehension task comprising of different sentence structures and cognitive demands. A conventional picture-pointing task was administered to 30 typically developing Malay children between the ages of 7;0 and 12;11 years old (Mean age in months = 119.33, SD = 16.09). Sentences consisted of (i) both canonical (subject-verb-object, SVO; subject relative, SR) and non-canonical structures (passives; object relative, OR), which were also (ii) manipulated in low, intermediate, and high cognitive load conditions. Analysis revealed that there were clearer distinctions in performance on the canonical vs. non-canonical sentences for children in the older age group (10;0 to 12;0) compared to the younger group (7;0 to 9;11), with better comprehension on the canonical structures. Both groups showed a developmental increment in comprehension performance from the simpler SVO and SR sentences to more complex passives and ORs. Although children in the older age group performed comparatively better on the canonical sentences across all cognitive loads, all children struggled as the cognitive demands increased from low to high load conditions within the sentences. In speech-language therapy practice, understanding typical developmental patterns helps clinician identify when a child may need support. The study provides valuable information for clinicians working with school-age children to better gauge their sentence comprehension abilities while being mindful of the diverse ways in which language can develop, particularly for those with neurodevelopmental conditions.
Keywords
Full Text:
PDFReferences
Abu Bakar, N., A. Razak, R., Lim, H. W. (2016). Pemerolehan Klausa Relatif Dalam Kalangan Kanak-Kanak Melayu: Satu Kajian Awal. GEMA Online® Journal of Language Studies. 16(3), 145-165. https://doi.org/10.17576/gema-2016-1603-10
Ahmad Rusli, Y. & Montgomery, J. W. (2017). Children’s comprehension of object relative sentences It’s extant language knowledge that matters, not domain-general working memory. Journal of Speech, Language, and Hearing Research. 60(10), 2865–2878. https://doi.org/10.1044/2017_JSLHR-L-16-0422
Archibald, L. M. D. & Gathercole, S. E. (2007). Nonword repetition in specific language impairment More than a phonological short-term memory deficit. Psychonomic Bulletin & Review. 14(5), 919–924. https://doi.org/10.3758/bf03194122
Bishop, D. V. & Garsell, M. (2003). Test for Reception of Grammar (TROG-2) Manual. Pearson.
Bishop, D. V., Snowling, M. J., Thompson, P. A., Greenhalgh, T. & the CATALISE-2 consortium. (2017). Phase 2 of CATALISE: A multinational and multidisciplinary Delphi consensus study of problems with language development: Terminology. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry and Allied Disciplines. 58(10), 1068–1080.
https://doi.org/10.1111/jcpp.12721
Borovsky, A., Elman, J. L. & Fernald, A. (2012). Knowing a lot for one’s age: Vocabulary skill and not age is associated with anticipatory incremental sentence interpretation in children and adults. Journal of Experimental Child Psychology. 112(4), 417–436. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jecp.2012.01.005
Choong, P. (2016). Production and Comprehension of Malay Relative Clauses by L1 Children. 49(6). https://medium.com/@arifwicaksanaa/pengertian-use-case-a7e576e1b6bf
Chu, S. Y., Shi, E. Q. K., Mohamad Ismail, F. N., Altaher, A. M. & A. Razak, R. (2019). Speech-Language Pathology in Malaysia: Perspectives and Challenges. Perspectives of the ASHA Special Interest Groups. Sig 17, 1–5. https://doi.org/10.1044/2019_PERS-SIG17-2019-0005
Curran, M. (2020). Complex sentences in an elementary science curriculum: A research note. Language, Speech, and Hearing Services in Schools. 51(2), 329–335. https://doi.org/10.1044/2019_LSHSS-19-00064
Dalen, M. (2002). School performances among internationally adopted children in Norway. Adoption Quarterly. 5(2), 39–58. https://doi.org/10.1300/J145v05n02_03
Delage, H. & Frauenfelder, U. H. (2020). Relationship between working memory and complex syntax in children with Developmental Language Disorder. Journal of Child Language. 47(3), 600–632. https://doi.org/10.1044/2019_PERS-SIG17-2019-000510.1017/S0305000919000722
Desmarais, C., Roeber, B. J., Smith, M. E. & Pollak, S. D. (2012). Sentence comprehension in post institutionalized school-age children. Journal of Speech, Language, and Hearing Research. 55(1), 45–54. https://doi.org/10.1044/1092-4388(2011/10-0246)
Dick, F., Wulfeck, B., Krupa-Kwiatkowski, M. & Bates, E. (2004). The development of complex sentence interpretation in typically developing children compared with children with specific language impairments or early unilateral focal lesions. Developmental Science. 7(3), 360–377. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-7687.2004.00353.x
Evans, J. & MacWhinney, B. (1999). Sentence processing strategies in children with expressive and expressive–receptive specific language impairments. International Journal of Language & Communication Disorders. 34(2), 117–134. https://doi.org/10.1080/136828299247469
Finney, M. C., Montgomery, J. W., Gillam, R. B. & Evans, J. L. (2014). Role of working memory storage and attention focus switching in children’s comprehension of spoken object relative sentences. Child Development Research. 2014, 1–11. https://doi.org/10.1155/2014/450734
Frank, S. L. (2013). Uncertainty reduction as a measure of cognitive load in sentence comprehension. Topics in Cognitive Science. 5(3), 475–494. https://doi.org/10.1111/tops.12025
Friedmann, N. & Novogrodsky, R. (2004). The acquisition of relative clause comprehension in Hebrew: A study of SLI and normal development. Journal of Child Language. 31(3), 661–681. https://doi.org/10.1017/s0305000904006269
Gillam, R. B., Montgomery, J. W., Evans, J. L. & Gillam, S. L. (2019). Cognitive predictors of sentence comprehension in children with and without developmental language disorder: Implications for assessment and treatment. International Journal of Speech Language Pathology. 21(3), 240–251.
https://doi.org/10.1080/17549507.2018.1559883
Kail, R. & Salthouse, T. A. (1994). Processing speed as a mental capacity. Acta Psychologica. 86(2–3), 199–225. https://doi.org/10.1016/0001-6918(94)90003-5
Kidd, E. & Bavin, E. L. (2007). Lexical and referential influences on on-line spoken language comprehension: A comparison of adults and primary-school-age children. First Language. 27(1), 29–52. https://doi.org/10.1177/0142723707067437
Leonard, L. B. (2014). Specific language impairment across languages. Child Development Perspectives. 8(1), 1–5. https://doi: 10.1111/cdep.12053.
Leonard, L. B., Deevy, P., Fey, M. E. & Bredin-Oja, S. L. (2013). Sentence comprehension in specific language impairment: A task designed to distinguish between cognitive capacity and syntactic complexity. Journal of Speech, Language, and Hearing Research. 56(2), 577–589. https://doi.org/10.1044/1092-4388(2012/11-0254)
Lum, J. A. G., Conti-Ramsden, G. & Lindell, A. K. (2007). The attentional blink reveals sluggish attentional shifting in adolescents with specific language impairment. Brain and Cognition. 63(3), 287–295. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bandc.2006.09.010
MacWhinney, B. (2001). The Competition Model: The Input, the Context, and the Brain. In Robinson P (Ed.). Cognition and Second Language Instruction (pp. 69–90). Cambridge University Press.
Marslen-Wilson, W., Tyler, L. K. & Marslen-Wilson, W. D. (1980). The temporal structure of spoken language understanding. Cognition. 8(1), 1–71. https://doi.org/10.1016/0010-0277(80)90015-3
Marslen-Wilson, W. & Zwitserlood, P. (1989). Accessing Spoken Words: The Importance of Word Onsets. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Human Perception and Performance. 15(3), 576–585. https://doi.org/10.1037/0096-1523.15.3.576
Marton, K., Campanelli, L., Eichorn, N., Scheuer, J. & Yoon, J. (2014). Information processing and proactive interference in children with and without specific language impairment. Journal of Speech, Language, and Hearing Research. 57(1), 106–119. https://doi.org/10.1044/1092-4388(2013/12-0306)
Marton, K. & Schwartz, R. G. (2003). Working memory capacity and language processes in children with specific language impairment. Journal of Speech, Language, and Hearing Research. 46(5), 1138–1153. https://doi.org/10.1044/1092-4388(2003/089)
Michael, E. B., Keller, T. A., Carpenter, P. A. & Just, M. A. (2001). fMRI investigation of sentence comprehension by eye and by ear: Modality fingerprints on cognitive processes. Human Brain Mapping. 13(4), 239–252. https://doi.org/10.1002/hbm.1036
Montag, J. L. & MacDonald, M. C. (2015). Text exposure predicts spoken production of complex sentences in 8-and 12-year-old children and adults. Journal of Experimental Psychology: General. 144(2), 447–468. https://doi.org/10.1037/xge0000054
Montgomery, J. W. (2000). Verbal working memory and sentence comprehension in children with specific language impairment. Journal of Speech, Language, and Hearing Research. 43(2), 293–308. https://doi.org/10.1044/jslhr.4302.293
Montgomery, J. W. & Evans, J. L. (2009). Complex sentence comprehension and working memory in children with specific language impairment. Journal of Speech, Language, and Hearing Research. 52(2), 269–288. https://doi.org/10.1044/1092-4388(2008/07-0116)
Montgomery, J. W., Evans, J. L., Fargo, J. D., Schwartz, S. & Gillam, R. B. (2018). Structural relationship between cognitive processing and syntactic sentence comprehension in children with and without developmental language disorder. Journal of Speech, Language, and Hearing Research. 61(12), 2950–2976.
https://doi.org/10.1044/2018_JSLHR-L-17-0421
Montgomery, J. W., Gillam, R. B. & Evans, J. L. (2021). A new memory perspective on the sentence comprehension deficits of school-age children with developmental language disorder: Implications for theory, assessment, and intervention. Language, Speech, and Hearing Services in Schools. 52(2), 446–449.
https://doi.org/10.1044/2021_LSHSS-20-00128
Montgomery, J. W., Gillam, R. B., Evans, J. L. & Sergeev, A. V. (2017). “Whatdunit?” Sentence comprehension abilities of children with SLI: Sensitivity to word order in canonical and noncanonical structures. Journal of Speech, Language, and Hearing Research. 60(9), 2603–2618. https://doi.org/10.1044/2017_JSLHR-L-17-0025.
Montgomery, J. W., Magimairaj, B. M. & O’Malley, M. H. (2008). Role of working memory in typically developing children’s complex sentence comprehension. Journal of Psycholinguistic Research. 37(5), 331–354. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10936-008-9077-z
Rapin, I. (1996). Practitioner review, Developmental language disorders: A clinical update. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry and Allied Disciplines. 37(6), 643–655. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1469-7610.1996.tb01456.x
Razak, R. A. (2014). Studies on the acquisition of morphology and syntax Malay children in Malaysia: Issues, challenges and needs. In Winskel, H. & Padakannaya, P. (Ed.), South and Southest Asian Psycholinguistics (pp. 133–144). Cambridge University Press.
Roberts, L., Marinis, T., Felser, C. & Clahsen, H. (2007). Antecedent priming at trace positions in children’s sentence processing. Journal of Psycholinguistic Research. 36(2), 175–188. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10936-006-9041-8
Robertson, E. K. & Joanisse, M. F. (2010). Spoken sentence comprehension in children with dyslexia and language impairment: The roles of syntax and working memory. Applied Psycholinguistics. 31(1), 141–165. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0142716409990208
Safi, D., Lefebvre, P. & Nader, M. (2020). Literacy acquisition: Reading development. Handbook of Clinical Neurology (pp. 185–199). Elsevier B.V.
Shi Hui Wu, Lisa-Marie Henderson, Silvia P. Gennari. (2022). Animacy-induced conflict in sentence production and comprehension from late childhood to adolescence. Journal of Experimental Child Psychology. 217(5). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jecp.2021.105350
Smolak, E., McGregor, K. K., Arbisi-Kelm, T. & Eden, N. (2020). Sustained attention in developmental language disorder and its relation to working memory and language. Journal of Speech, Language, and Hearing Research. 63(12), 4096–4108. https://doi.org/10.1044/2020_JSLHR-20-00265
Susheel Joginder Singh, Min Yen Chan & Yazmin Ahmad Rusli (2016). Practise patterns of Malaysian speech-language pathologists in managing children with speech and language delay/disorder. International Journal of Speech-Language Pathology. 18(6), 560-5701. https://doi.org/10.3109/17549507.2016.1139624
Traxler, M. J. & Tooley, K. M. (2007). Lexical mediation and context effects in sentence processing. Brain Research. 1146(1), 59–74. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.brainres.2006.10.010
Van Der Lely, H. K. J. (1996). Specifically language impaired and normally developing children: Verbal passive vs. adjectival passive sentence interpretation. Lingua. 98(4), 243–272. https://doi.org/10.1016/0024-3841(95)00044-5
Weighall, A. R. & Altmann, G. T. M. (2011). The role of working memory and contextual constraints in children’s processing of relative clauses. Journal of Child Language. 38(3), 579–605. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0305000910000267
Weismer, S. E., Evans, J. & Hesketh, L. J. (1999). Working memory capacity: An examination of verbal working memory capacity in children with specific language impairment. Journal of Speech, Language, and Hearing Research. 42(5), 1249–1260. https://doi.org/10.1044/jslhr.4205.1249
Wells, J. B., Christiansen, M. H., Race, D. S., Acheson, D. J. & MacDonald, M. C. (2009). Experience and sentence processing: Statistical learning and relative clause comprehension. Cognitive Psychology. 58(2), 250–271. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cogpsych.2008.08.002
Westby, C. E. 2005. Assessing and remediating text comprehension problems. In Catts, H.W. & Kamhi, A.G. (Eds.). Language and reading disabilities (pp. 157-232). Boston MA: Pearson Education.
DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.17576/gema-2024-2404-03
Refbacks
- There are currently no refbacks.
eISSN : 2550-2131
ISSN : 1675-8021