Translucency and Learnability of Blissymbols in Setswana-speaking Children: An Exploration

Children's identification of graphic symbols representing four basic emotions: Comparison of Afrikaans-speaking and Sepedi-speaking children

“…These results support the differences observed in studies that investigated different symbol characteristics within different language groups in the South African context (Basson & Alant, 2005;Haupt & Alant, 2002). The findings also accentuate the dynamic relationship between language groups and the interpretation of symbols (Bornman et al, 2009), particularly those depicting abstract concepts like emotions.…”

Translucency Ratings of Blissymbols over Repeated Exposures by Children with Autism

“…A bar chart indicating four previously described options was used to assist the participants in rating the translucency of each Blissymbol (see Supplementary Appendix A to be found online at http://informahealthcare.com/doi/abs/ 10.3109/07434618.2013.813967). This rating scale differed from the one used in the Bornman et al (2009) study in two ways: First, teachers at the school suggested that, instead of using symbols of faces (smiling, neutral, sad) as in Bornman et al (2009), the researchers should use a bar chart to indicate the degree of likeness due to diffi culties that participants might experience in identifying emotions on graphic symbols (Balconi & Carrera, 2008). Second, because there seemed to have been a potential ceiling effect in the data of Bornman et al (2009), a 4-point, rather than a 3-point, rating scale was used.…”

“…This rating scale differed from the one used in the Bornman et al (2009) study in two ways: First, teachers at the school suggested that, instead of using symbols of faces (smiling, neutral, sad) as in Bornman et al (2009), the researchers should use a bar chart to indicate the degree of likeness due to diffi culties that participants might experience in identifying emotions on graphic symbols (Balconi & Carrera, 2008). Second, because there seemed to have been a potential ceiling effect in the data of Bornman et al (2009), a 4-point, rather than a 3-point, rating scale was used. A response was accepted when the student pointed to one of the bars on the chart used to represent the rating.…”

“…The Blissymbol rating task was modifi ed from a study by Bornman et al (2009) that explored the translucency of 93 Blisssymbols with a group of typically developing Setswana-speaking children (aged between 6 years and 7; 11) . Bornman et al ' s study was based on an earlier study by Quist, Lloyd, van Balkom, Welle-Donker, and Vander (1998), who conducted a cross-cultural comparison between Dutch and American children in relation to their iconicity ratings of Blissymbols.…”

The Iconicity of Picture Communication Symbols for Children with English Additional Language and Mild Intellectual Disability

“…The fourth group of effects is individual effects, which may influence judgment about iconicity and may include oral or literate background (Pierce & McWilliam, 1993); schooling (Martlew & Connolly, 1996); culture (Basson & Alant, 2005;Haupt & Alant, 2002;Hetzroni & Harris, 1996;Huer, 2000;Nakamura, Newell, Alm, & Waller, 1998); age (Emms & Gardner, 2010); cognitive or thinking style (Bornman, Alant, & Du Preez, 2009;Taylor & Clarke, 1994;Witkin, 1967); sensorimotor functioning (Mineo Mollica, 2003), world knowledge (Light & Lindsay, 1991); symbol experience (Stephenson & Linfoot, 1996); and language competence (Barton et al, 2006).…”