Dissertations and Theses @ UNI
Availability
Open Access Thesis
Keywords
Children with social disabilities--Education;
Abstract
Much of the research directed towards the study of poverty indicates that low socio-economic or "disadvantaged" children are often found to lack adequate language skills. However. a review of the various studies reveals that many of these investigations have been limited to Negro children and to children living in large cities. There appears to be a lack of information in regard to disadvantaged white children from small towns. In addition, many investigators have failed to consider the role of sex factors in the development of language skills. The purpose of the present study was two-fold (1) to compare the language skills of disadvantaged white kindergarten children with those of middle- class white kindergarten children from Marshalltown, Iowa , in an effort to determine whether or not the term "disadvantaged" in a small town refers to a real disadvantage in terms of language, and (2) to evaluate the difference between sexes in the use of language skills. In this study three variables of language were considered : (1) mean length of response , (2) receptive syntax . and (3) expressive syntax. Within-group and between- group comparisons were made in an effort to determine the effect of sex upon the use of language skills. Mean length of response was obtained through the use of a picture storytelling assignment. Receptive and expressive syntax were measured through the use of the Northwestern Syntax Screening Test. Subjects for the study included fifty-two white kindergarten children from the Marshalltown Community Schools. These children were evenly divided into an experimental group of disadvantaged children and a control group of middle-class children. Each group contained an equal number of boys and girls. The groups were matched as closely as possible according to age. The results of this study show that in regard to mean length of response differences significant at the .01 level were noted between (1) disadvantaged and middle-class white kindergarten children and (2) disadvantaged and middle-class white kindergarten girls. A significant difference was not noted. between disadvantaged and middle-class white kindergarten boys. Mean length of response was not found to be significantly affected by sex. In regard to the receptive items of the Northwestern Syntax Screening Test , a difference significant at the . 01 level was noted between disadvantaged and middle-class children. Differences significant at the .05 level were noted between (1) disadvantaged and middleclass white kindergarten boys and (2) disadvantaged and middle-class white kindergarten girls. Within-group and between-group comparisons indicated no significant differences between sexes. Comparisons of scores for the expressive items on the Northwestern Syntax Screening Test revealed no statistically significant differences between disadvantaged and middle class white kindergarten children or between sexes. The significant differences in language skills found in this study appear to be based upon differences in language skills between disadvantaged and middle-class white kindergarten children rather than differences noted between boys and girls.
Year of Submission
1971
Degree Name
Master of Arts
Department
Department of Speech
First Advisor
Roy E. Eblen
Second Advisor
Ralph Schwartz
Third Advisor
Harry Ausprich
Date Original
1971
Object Description
1 PDF file (54 leaves)
Copyright
©1971 Nadine J. Harman
Language
en
File Format
application/pdf
Recommended Citation
Harman, Nadine J., "A Comparative Study of the Language of Disadvantaged White Kindergarten Children and Middle-Class White Kindergarten Children" (1971). Dissertations and Theses @ UNI. 2859.
https://scholarworks.uni.edu/etd/2859
Comments
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