Assessing vocabulary acquisition using a fast-mapping task in an Android application: A pilot study

Purpose: The aim of this study was to explore whether a fast mapping task embedded in an Android application (FastMApp) is a valid tool to assess referent selection abilities in Spanish-speaking children aged between 18 and 30 months. Traditional assessment tools for lexical development use static q...

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Detalles Bibliográficos
Autores: Rujas Pascual, Irene, Casla, Marta, Murillo Sanz, Eva, Lázaro López-Villaseñor, Miguel
Tipo de recurso: artículo
Fecha de publicación:2024
País:España
Institución:Universidad Complutense de Madrid (UCM)
Repositorio:Docta Complutense
Idioma:inglés
OAI Identifier:oai:docta.ucm.es:20.500.14352/118705
Acceso en línea:https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14352/118705
Access Level:acceso embargado
Palabra clave:Fast-mapping
Vocabulary assessment
Application
Early linguistic development
Child language
Word learning
Logopedia
Psicolingüística
6102.01 Psicología Evolutiva
6102.05 Patología del Lenguaje
Descripción
Sumario:Purpose: The aim of this study was to explore whether a fast mapping task embedded in an Android application (FastMApp) is a valid tool to assess referent selection abilities in Spanish-speaking children aged between 18 and 30 months. Traditional assessment tools for lexical development use static quantitative methods that assign children a final score to represent their overall vocabulary level. These methods fail to provide insights into the learning process, despite their potential relevance for clinical and educational purposes. Method: Sixty Spanish-speaking children participated in this study. They completed the FastMApp (a 22-trials’ fast mapping noun task including 4- and 5-item trials, with one unknown object), and their caregivers rated their child’s vocabulary on a parent-rated vocabulary inventory measure. Result: The data show a high percentage of responses to the task, indicating that the children were actively complied with the task. The scores for known labels are significantly higher compared to unknown labels, and the scores for 4-item trials are significantly higher compared to 5-item trials. We observed a strong and significant relationship between the scores in this task and the scores on the parent-rated vocabulary inventory measure. Conclusion: The results suggest that FastMApp is suitable for assessing early vocabulary acquisition in Spanish-speaking children.