Influence of Demographic Variables on Metalinguistic Skills

Abstract

Background/Aims: The existing literature reports no clear patterns for the influence of extralinguistic variables on MSs because they vary across languages. Therefore, the current study addresses this issue by analyzing the development of MSs at the beginning of formal schooling and by determining the extent to which demographic variables affect metalinguistic development in normally developing European-Portuguese (EP) children. Methods: The sample included 80 EP first graders aged 6;00-6;11 years who presented a normal linguistic development. The Language Test - Preschool Language Assessment (TL-ALPE) was used to assess MSs in the domains of semantic, structural, and phonological awareness. Results: At the beginning of formal schooling, only one phonological awareness task involving syllables was considered to be acquired and established among all metalinguistic tasks elicited. Significant group differences were not found for the demographic variables of gender, socioeconomic status, and ecological setting. Conclusion: These findings contribute to the increasing literature on MSs. The reference information provided is important for accurately identifying school-aged children with language impairment.

Normative Features of Phoneme Acquisition in Brazilian Portuguese

“…One study investigated the extent to which demographic variables affect metalinguistic development in European Portuguese-speaking children. It did not find significant differences between genders or socioeconomic levels [22]. Another study of typically developing European Portuguese-speaking children analyzed differences in morphosyntactic performance according to specific demographic variables (gender, age, and socioeconomic status).…”

“…These three factors have been identified by other studies [5][6][7] as fundamental for ensuring the representativeness of normative samples for phonological acquisition. The comparison to a reference sample is crucial for accurately identifying children with language impairment and building valid assessment tools [22].…”