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A Large-Scale Clustered Randomized Control Trial Examining The Effects Of A Multi-Tiered Oral Narrative Language Intervention On Kindergarten Oral And Written Narratives And Oral Expository Language, Mollie Paige Brough Apr 2019

A Large-Scale Clustered Randomized Control Trial Examining The Effects Of A Multi-Tiered Oral Narrative Language Intervention On Kindergarten Oral And Written Narratives And Oral Expository Language, Mollie Paige Brough

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of the current study was to examine the effects of a multi-tiered oral narrative language intervention on kindergarteners’ oral and written narrative and oral expository skills. The participants included 686 kindergarten students from four school districts in the upper Midwest. They were randomly assigned at the classroom level to a treatment or control condition. The treatment group received large group (tier-1) oral narrative language instruction led by classroom teachers and followed the Story Champs procedures. Students whose oral narrative retell skills did not improve after one month of large group instruction were placed in small groups and received …


The Accuracy Of A Spanish Dynamic Assessment Of Narrative Language In Identifying Language Disorder: A Cross Validation Study, Mariah Forbush Romero Apr 2019

The Accuracy Of A Spanish Dynamic Assessment Of Narrative Language In Identifying Language Disorder: A Cross Validation Study, Mariah Forbush Romero

Theses and Dissertations

This cross-validation study investigated the extent that a Spanish narrative language dynamic assessment accurately identified students with and without language disorder across three separate samples of bilingual and monolingual Spanish-speaking students from Guatemala, Mexico, and the U.S. Students with language disorder and students with typically developing language were administered a narrative dynamic assessment in Spanish. A test-teach-retest format of dynamic assessment was followed and student modifiability, or learning ability, was rated directly following the teaching phase of the assessment. Results indicated that the most predictive dynamic assessment variables for the Guatemalan sample were posttest scores combined with two separate modifiability …


Modeling Subglottic Stenosis Effects On Phonation Threshold Pressure In The Porcine Larynx, Jessica Maryn Murphey Apr 2019

Modeling Subglottic Stenosis Effects On Phonation Threshold Pressure In The Porcine Larynx, Jessica Maryn Murphey

Theses and Dissertations

Subglottic stenosis (SGS) is a narrowing of the airway below the vocal folds and above the trachea. This narrowing may be idiopathic or caused by scarring in the airway due to prolonged endotracheal intubation, radiation therapy, trauma, or gastroesophageal reflux disease. People who present with SGS often experience respiratory difficulty both at rest and during exertion. Breathing difficulty increases with stenosis severity. SGS is also associated with voice problems. Research has identified relationships among stenosis severity, voice function and certain types of surgical management; however, many aspects of these relationships are not fully understood due to the complexities of studying …


Phonological Processing In Children With Dyslexia: Analyzing Nonword Repetition Error Types, Camille Christine Stanley Apr 2019

Phonological Processing In Children With Dyslexia: Analyzing Nonword Repetition Error Types, Camille Christine Stanley

Theses and Dissertations

This study analyzes quantitative and qualitative differences in errors made during a nonword repetition task between children with dyslexia (n = 75) and their typically developing (TD) peers (n = 75). Participants were auditorily presented with 16 nonwords based on a CVC (consonant-vowel-consonant) pattern; nonwords varied from two to five syllables in length. Verbal responses were recorded, transcribed, and consonant phonemes were analyzed according to the following error types: substitutions, omissions, insertions, and transpositions. Analyses found that children with dyslexia perform more poorly on nonword repetition as compared to their TD peers. Specifically, during this nonword repetition task children with …


Using Electropalatography To Analyze Intra-Speaker Variability In German Second Language Fricative Production, Elizabeth D. Young Mar 2019

Using Electropalatography To Analyze Intra-Speaker Variability In German Second Language Fricative Production, Elizabeth D. Young

Undergraduate Honors Theses

Electropalatography (EPG) is a biofeedback system that tracks tongue contact with the palate during speech. The current study uses EPG data to examine the variability that occurs in speech production for individuals speaking a second language (L2). Five native German speakers and twelve native English speakers learning German as a second language were asked to produce the fricatives [ç], [x], and /ʃ/ in various linguistic contexts. Variability in center of maximal contact across the anterior-posterior dimension (“Center of Gravity” – COG) and duration for L2 production across sound type, L2 production across task type, L2 production across subject, and native …


The Effects Of Multi-Tiered Systems Of Language Support On Oral Language, Reading Comprehension, And Writing In Second And Third Grade Students In India, Brenna Scadden Nelson Mar 2019

The Effects Of Multi-Tiered Systems Of Language Support On Oral Language, Reading Comprehension, And Writing In Second And Third Grade Students In India, Brenna Scadden Nelson

Undergraduate Honors Theses

This study investigated whether multi-tiered narrative intervention improved oral language comprehension, reading comprehension, and writing in second and third-grade students in India. There were 121 participants across second and third grade. Classrooms were randomly assigned to a treatment, an alternate-treatment, or a no-treatment condition. The treatment group participated in 8 weeks of Story Champs intervention, the alternate-treatment group participated in 8 weeks of shared storybook intervention, and the no treatment group served as a control. Results indicated that oral narrative intervention delivered through a multi-tiered system of language support (MTSLS) causally impacted the oral language, reading comprehension, and narrative writing …


Improving Narrative And Expository Language: A Comparison Of Narrative Intervention To Shared Storybook Reading, Karee Douglas Mar 2019

Improving Narrative And Expository Language: A Comparison Of Narrative Intervention To Shared Storybook Reading, Karee Douglas

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to explore the impact of oral narrative intervention delivered in a multi-tiered system of support format on proximal narrative retell outcomes, and more distal personal story generation and expository language outcomes of preschool and kindergarten students. Participants included 241 preschool and kindergarten students. Students were divided into 3 different groups (treatment, alternate treatment, and no-treatment control). The treatment group received Story Champs Tier 1 oral narrative language intervention from their classroom teacher twice a week for 15-20 minutes over 14 weeks. A sub-sample of students from the Story Champs group who did not meet …


P300 Event-Related Potentials To A Phoneme Discrimination Task Requiring A Motor Response, Kaitlyn Chelsea Turner Dec 2018

P300 Event-Related Potentials To A Phoneme Discrimination Task Requiring A Motor Response, Kaitlyn Chelsea Turner

Theses and Dissertations

Speech perception typically takes place within the auditory cortex as evidenced by data collected using quantitative electroencephalography (qEEG). The purpose of this study was to determine if motor responses influence speech perception. We examined P300 event-related potentials during oddball stimulus recognition tasks that either required or did not require a motor response. Based on a review of the literature, it was hypothesized that similar areas of the brain would be activated in both the motor response task and the same task without a motor response immediately following the button-push condition. Two syllables, /ba/ and /ga/, were presented to 20 native …


Acoustic Correlates Of Aging And Familial Relationship, Samantha Michelle Taylor Oct 2018

Acoustic Correlates Of Aging And Familial Relationship, Samantha Michelle Taylor

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine the potential differences in selected acoustic measures of speech as a function of age, across sexes, and between families. The data used in this study were previously collected for a larger project on voice production at the University of Utah. Participants included 169 individuals, 79 men and 90 women, from 18 Utah families, ranging in age from 17 to 87 years. All participants had no history of articulation disorders, stroke or active neurologic disease, or severe-profound hearing loss. Participants were recorded reading two passages aloud in a sound booth. These two passages …


Comparison Of Early Literacy Ipad Apps: Evaluation Of Teachers' Perceptions, Julie Mcintyre Evans Aug 2018

Comparison Of Early Literacy Ipad Apps: Evaluation Of Teachers' Perceptions, Julie Mcintyre Evans

Theses and Dissertations

A recent dramatic increase in the availability of early literacy applications (apps) for mobile devices has led teachers to incorporate them into their educational programs. This study explored teachers' perceptions and opinions regarding three early literacy apps: Endless Reader, Preschool Matching Game: Rhyming Words, and Hideout: Early Reading. The study consisted of 15 preschool teachers who interacted with each app and answered questions regarding their opinions about the apps and the use of digital devices in the classroom in general. Teacher responses were analyzed and categorized based on common topics that emerged from the data set. The …


Similarities And Difference In The Neural Processing Of Speech And Song In Religious Music, Brett Pielstick Jul 2018

Similarities And Difference In The Neural Processing Of Speech And Song In Religious Music, Brett Pielstick

Undergraduate Honors Theses

An fMRI study was performed to see the differences in the neurological processing between spoken and sung language in religious music. Students at Brigham Young University, who are members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, were exposed to alternating blocks of spoken and sung lyrics of religious and non-religious songs. There was no significant activation when contrasting speech and song, but there was significant activation in the right middle temporal gyrus and the posterior cingulate gyrus when listening to spoken and sung religious lyrics, suggesting an emotional reaction to religious stimuli. Contrasting spoken stimuli for both religious …


The Effect Of A Social Communication Intervention On The Correct Production Of Emotion Words In Children With Language Impairment, Annelise Luddington Jun 2018

The Effect Of A Social Communication Intervention On The Correct Production Of Emotion Words In Children With Language Impairment, Annelise Luddington

Theses and Dissertations

Children diagnosed with Language Impairment (LI) often have difficulty with aspects of social communication. This thesis evaluates the effects of a social communication intervention focused on facilitating the correct production of emotion words in four elementary school-aged children with LI. Researchers monitored changes from pretreatment baseline data, through the intervention, and ended with posttreatment follow-up data for the emotions happiness, surprise, fear, anger, sadness, and disgust. Based on baseline measures, emotion categories in which the child showed limited proficiency were targeted for the 20 intervention sessions. The emotions targeted were different for each child. Each intervention session contained a combination …


The Effects Of Social Communication Intervention On Emotion Inferencing In Children With Developmental Language Disorder, Capri Annissa Seaberg Jun 2018

The Effects Of Social Communication Intervention On Emotion Inferencing In Children With Developmental Language Disorder, Capri Annissa Seaberg

Theses and Dissertations

Children with Developmental Language Disorder (DLD) often face problems in areas of social communication including negotiating with peers, entering ongoing interactions, and engaging in conflict resolution. A potential cause of these social communication difficulties is the decreased ability to make emotional inferences. This thesis investigates the effects of a social communication intervention on the ability of school-aged children with DLD to make inferences about emotions. Five children with DLD between the ages of 6;10 and 12;4 participated in a social communication intervention that highlighted principles of emotion understanding (recognizing emotions in facial expressions, inferring emotions with contextual information, and discussing …


Articulatory Kinematic Differences During Adaptation To A Bite Block, Madison Ann Mchaley Jun 2018

Articulatory Kinematic Differences During Adaptation To A Bite Block, Madison Ann Mchaley

Theses and Dissertations

The current study examined the effects of bite blocks on articulatory kinematics when producing /r/ within a phrase. Participants consisted of 20 young adults (10 males, 10 females) with no speech, language or hearing disorders. Participants produced the carrier phrase, I say __ with the nonsense words /əri/ (high front vowel), /əræ/ (low front vowel), /əru/ (high back vowel), /ərɑ/ (low back vowel). A Northern Digital Instruments Wave electromagnetic articulograph measured the articulatory movements while the speaker produced the stimuli in two conditions (Pre bite block and post bite block). Bilateral bite blocks were made using Express dental putty, which …


The Effect Of The Slope Of The Psychometric Function On The Measurement Of Speech Recognition Threshold Using A Female Talker, Jessica Lee Reese Jun 2018

The Effect Of The Slope Of The Psychometric Function On The Measurement Of Speech Recognition Threshold Using A Female Talker, Jessica Lee Reese

Theses and Dissertations

Speech audiometry has long been a component of a thorough audiological examination. The speech recognition threshold (SRT) measurement is perhaps the most widely used measurement in speech audiometry. For decades, researchers and clinicians have worked to create and fine-tune word lists that for use in SRT testing; their aim being to improve the accuracy for classifying a client's ability to hear and comprehend speech. Experts in the field have agreed to follow four tenets of speech audiometry when selecting word sets. This study examined whether improvement to stimulus lists for SRT measurement could be made in regards to the tenet …


The Effect Of The Slope Of The Psychometric Function On The Measurement Of Speech Recognition Threshold Using A Male Talker, Nujod Ali Bakhsh Jun 2018

The Effect Of The Slope Of The Psychometric Function On The Measurement Of Speech Recognition Threshold Using A Male Talker, Nujod Ali Bakhsh

Theses and Dissertations

Speech audiometry is the aspect of audiology that provides critical information on how individuals hear one of the most important sounds of daily life: speech. The speech recognition threshold (SRT) is a measure of speech audiometry that is widely used to provide information on an individual's capacity to hear speech. Over time, researchers and clinicians have worked to improve the SRT by developing and modifying a variety of word lists to be used during testing. Eventually, spondaic words were selected as the best stimuli for the SRT. The spondaic words had to meet four criteria: familiarity, phonetic dissimilarity, normal sampling …


The Association Between Articulator Movement And Formant Histories In Diphthongs Across Speaking Contexts, Janae Valyn Christensen Apr 2018

The Association Between Articulator Movement And Formant Histories In Diphthongs Across Speaking Contexts, Janae Valyn Christensen

Theses and Dissertations

This study examined the effect of context on the association between formant trajectories and tongue and lip kinematics in the American English diphthongs /aɪ/ and /aʊ/. Seventeen native speakers of American English had electromagnetic sensors placed on their tongue and lips to record kinematic signals that were time-aligned with the corresponding acoustic recording. Speakers produced the diphthongs in isolation, in a single word rVl context, in a phrase hVd context, and in a sentence context. Kinematic data and the F1 and F2 trajectories were extracted from the middle 50% of each diphthong production. To allow direct comparison of signals with …


Effects Of Larynx Preservation Method On Phonation Threshold Flow In An Excised Porcine Benchtop Model, Emily Huber Webster Apr 2018

Effects Of Larynx Preservation Method On Phonation Threshold Flow In An Excised Porcine Benchtop Model, Emily Huber Webster

Theses and Dissertations

An excised animal larynx model has been used in many studies to better understand the physiological and anatomical properties of the human larynx. One difference between an ex vivo model and an in vivo model is that ion loss occurs postmortem. To compensate for this in the excised model, researchers most commonly use a preservation method that includes completely submerging the specimen in isotonic saline (0.9% Na+Cl-) and then flash freezing it in liquid nitrogen. The flash freezing method allows researchers to maintain the integrity of the structures while also being able to gather specimens as they become available. Not …


Using Video Self-Modeling To Improve Reading Fluency In School Aged Children With Specific Learning Disabilities, Chelsea Nicole Ollar Apr 2018

Using Video Self-Modeling To Improve Reading Fluency In School Aged Children With Specific Learning Disabilities, Chelsea Nicole Ollar

Theses and Dissertations

Effective reading interventions for students with specific learning disabilities (SLD) are needed. A multiprobe multiple baseline across participants design was used to evaluate the effects of a video self-modeling intervention (VSM) on reading fluency skills. The VSM interventions effects on self-efficacy were also measured. Four male middle school students with SLD watched a pre-recorded video of themselves reading a passage fluently and were then asked to read another passage. Words correct per minute (WCPM) and accuracy data were taken. Results showed that students read significantly more words correct when they watched themselves read the same passage they were about to …


The Effects Of A Social Communication Intervention On The Correct Production Of Emotion Words For Children With Language Impairment, Julia Vincent Hetherton Apr 2018

The Effects Of A Social Communication Intervention On The Correct Production Of Emotion Words For Children With Language Impairment, Julia Vincent Hetherton

Theses and Dissertations

Many school-age children with language impairment (LI) have difficulties with aspects of social and emotional learning. This study was structured to evaluate one aspect of the effectiveness of a social communication intervention, the appropriate production of emotion words. Four school-aged children with LI participated in 20 sessions of story-based intervention targeting understanding and usage of emotion-based words. Emotions targeted included the emotion word categories of happiness, sadness, anger, fear, surprise, and disgust. Because the knowledge of the emotion word categories varied from child to child, each child had different target words. The percentage of correct production of targeted emotion …


The Nature Of Child Engagement And Teacher-Child Interactions Within Stem-Based Instruction In Preschool Classrooms, Hayley Ann Griffin Apr 2018

The Nature Of Child Engagement And Teacher-Child Interactions Within Stem-Based Instruction In Preschool Classrooms, Hayley Ann Griffin

Theses and Dissertations

While educators and speech-language pathologists have been found to utilize informational texts far less than fictional texts when working with young children, informational texts can support young children's academic and language development. This study qualitatively analyzed how children engaged in informationally-based activities and how instructors interacted with children to support their engagement and learning. Fifty-three children from 4 Head Start classrooms participated in small and large group STEM-based instructional activities for 2 days each across 2 weeks. The instructional unit related to how plants grow and how they are used for food. The researchers reviewed and transcribed video recordings and …


Measuring The Reliability Of The Early Expository Comprehension Assessment, Revised 3rd Edition, Garrett Frane Wilkes Apr 2018

Measuring The Reliability Of The Early Expository Comprehension Assessment, Revised 3rd Edition, Garrett Frane Wilkes

Theses and Dissertations

During the past several years, the Common Core State Standards has created a greater demand for students in public schools to comprehend and analyze expository text. In order to prepare students for work with expository text, beginning with kindergarten, more emphasis and standards have become prevalent in preschool classrooms as well. The Early Expository Comprehension Assessment, Revised 3rd Edition (EECA R-3) was developed to aid preschool teachers in determining what aspects of expository text a student understands, including recognition of different structure types. This study with the EECA R-3 extends previous studies using earlier iterations of the assessment. One hundred …


Perceptual Proficiency Ratings Of Obstruent Productions In L2 Learners Of English As A Function Of Speech Task Type, Word Position, And Listener Expertise, Rachel Mcpherson Zitting Mar 2018

Perceptual Proficiency Ratings Of Obstruent Productions In L2 Learners Of English As A Function Of Speech Task Type, Word Position, And Listener Expertise, Rachel Mcpherson Zitting

Theses and Dissertations

Second language (L2) learners of English must learn to produce English phonemes, words, and sentences. These L2 learners make many errors when learning English; they may change the place or manner of articulation, insert vowels, or delete consonants. Obstruent sounds, such as fricatives, affricates, and stops, can be especially difficult for L2 learners. This study analyzed native English speakers’ perception of the quality of obstruents produced by native Mandarin Chinese and Korean speakers. Target words containing obstruents had been produced in three different tasks: in a carrier phrase, in a paragraph, and in a spontaneous speech sample. Obstruents were produced …


Native Mandarin Speakers' Production Of English Fricatives As A Function Of Linguistic Task Type And Word Position: A Spectral Moment Analysis, Lindsey Mccall Wing Mar 2018

Native Mandarin Speakers' Production Of English Fricatives As A Function Of Linguistic Task Type And Word Position: A Spectral Moment Analysis, Lindsey Mccall Wing

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to analyze the phonetic production of fricatives across differing word positions and task types. Further knowledge about the fricative production of second language learners of English would potentially improve the ability to teach correct pronunciation and improve the productivity of second language programs. All participants in this study were native speakers of Mandarin Chinese with English as their second language. A total of 12 subjects participated, all of whom had English proficiency ratings ranging from novice to advanced. The speakers were between 21-51 years of age, with each speaker having between 2 to 6 …


Effects Of Divided Attention On Speech In Parkinson's Disease, Melissa Inkley Mar 2018

Effects Of Divided Attention On Speech In Parkinson's Disease, Melissa Inkley

Theses and Dissertations

The effects of divided attention on speech in Parkinson's disease (PD) have been studied for a variety of tasks in recent years. Much of the previous research studied gait patterns while participants concurrently performed another task. There have been few studies regarding the effects of divided attention on speech in individuals with PD. The ability to communicate effectively relies in part on an appropriate rate of speech, vocal intensity, and fundamental frequency control. This study included 27 participants: 8 with PD, 12 neurologically healthy older (HO) adults, and 7 healthy younger (HY) adults. Each participant was given a list of …


An Early Childhood Expository Comprehension Measure: A Look At Validity, Marybeth Fillerup Robertson Mar 2018

An Early Childhood Expository Comprehension Measure: A Look At Validity, Marybeth Fillerup Robertson

Theses and Dissertations

Many have argued for more informational text to be incorporated into the curriculum, even in the earliest grades. However, it has traditionally been thought that narrative text should precede informational text when introducing children to literacy. Still several studies have demonstrated that preschool children are capable of learning from these texts. Because informational texts are being introduced even in the earliest grades, preschool teachers are in need of ways to assess their students' ability to handle early forms of informational texts. The Early Expository Text Comprehension Assessment (EECA) was developed to help teachers understand the comprehension abilities of their preschool …


The Efficacy Of A Literature-Based Social Communication Intervention On Teacher Report Of Withdrawal For Children With Language Impairment, Cammy G. Peterson Jul 2017

The Efficacy Of A Literature-Based Social Communication Intervention On Teacher Report Of Withdrawal For Children With Language Impairment, Cammy G. Peterson

Theses and Dissertations

Research shows that children with language impairment (LI) often have deficits in social communication. The purpose of this study was to examine the effectiveness of a social communication intervention targeting emotion understanding on teacher perceptions of withdrawal in six elementary-aged boys with LI. The intervention incorporated four elements into treatment sessions: a) Story sharing of children's literature that was rich in emotional content and prosocial behaviors; b) Story enactment of the same children's literature; c) identification and discussion of pictures of facial expressions; and d) journaling to help internalize and reflect on emotions and social behaviors targeted. Two withdrawal subscales …


Development Of An Early Expository Text Comprehension Assessment: A Pilot Study, Stacey Christianson Jul 2017

Development Of An Early Expository Text Comprehension Assessment: A Pilot Study, Stacey Christianson

Theses and Dissertations

Literature supporting the use of informational texts with preschool children has increased in recent years. However, many preschool classrooms still focus on narrative text, and teachers are often unsure how to provide support for children's comprehension of informational texts. An assessment addressing preschool children's informational text comprehension will help teachers understand what children can do with informational texts and point out demands or tasks that children should be able to handle. A comprehension assessment for preschool children focusing on text purpose, text features, text retell, and comprehension of text structures has not been available. To fit this need, recent effort …


The Ability Of Five Children With Language Impairment To Describe Mental State In Story Narratives In Spontaneous And Prompted Conditions: Does It Help To Ask?, Naomi Asai Jul 2017

The Ability Of Five Children With Language Impairment To Describe Mental State In Story Narratives In Spontaneous And Prompted Conditions: Does It Help To Ask?, Naomi Asai

Theses and Dissertations

Numerous studies have shown that children identified with Language Impairment (LI) have marked difficulty with producing story narratives compared to their typically developing peers. One particular area of weakness seen in the narratives of children with LI is their ability to incorporate internal states, specifically internal response, internal plan, and emotion words. The current study examines five children with LI and their descriptions of mental and emotional states of characters in story narratives under spontaneous and prompted conditions. Participants produced story retells based on a series of wordless picture books taken from the Edmonton Narrative Norms Instrument. Story retells were …


Quantifying Lingua-Palatal Contact Patterns Of Fricative Productions By Non-Native Students Enrolled In A University German Language Course: An Electropalatography Study, Kate Erin Lester Jun 2017

Quantifying Lingua-Palatal Contact Patterns Of Fricative Productions By Non-Native Students Enrolled In A University German Language Course: An Electropalatography Study, Kate Erin Lester

Theses and Dissertations

Electropalatography (EPG) is a computer-based tracking system designed to provide real-time visual biofeedback of articulatory contacts occurring during speech production. Historically, EPG technology has proven functional within the treatment and assessment of speech disorders however, application of EPG technology to assist in second language learning has remained limited. The present thesis is part of a larger study examining the effectiveness of using EPG as an advanced instructional tool for assisting second language (L2) learners of German. Fricative productions ([ç], [x], /s/, and /∫/) within real words were gathered from 12 native English speakers enrolled in a second semester university level …