Applying Computer-Based Language Test to Young Children.
Yunyi Hu, Kathy Yuet-Sheung Lee, Tammy Hui Mei Lau and 4 others
PMID 37935141WHAT IT FOUND
Computer and paper language tests did not differ in total scores in 32 Cantonese-speaking children aged 2 to 4.
Item results were not fully interchangeable, and matching responses varied across age groups.
Key findings
01The computer and paper versions showed no significant difference in total and subcategory scores.
02Overall agreement between the two formats was excellent, with good agreement for receptive grammar, expressive vocabulary, and expressive grammar.
03At the individual item level, 28 of the 35 items shared more than 80% agreement, and matching responses across age groups ranged from 75.3% to 91.4%.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for SLPs
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What it does not show
Only 32 children were assessed, and the age groups were small and unequal. This limits generalisation to all Cantonese-speaking children aged 2 to 4. Participant eligibility relied on parent report for hearing, cognitive, and physical problems, without objective verification. The study did not test inter-rater or intra-rater reliability. Three pragmatic items were excluded from both formats, so the findings do not cover the full 38-item MacCLASS-P. Item-level agreement was not complete: 28 of the 35 items had more than 80% agreement, and matching responses across age groups ranged from 75.3% to 91.4%. The paper does not report dropouts or missing data handling.
Declared interests
The authors report no declarations of interest. Financial support was provided by the Health and Medical Research Fund, Government of Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, and the Knowledge Transfer Project Fund, The Chinese University of Hong Kong.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude the computer test is equivalent for all children aged 2 to 4. Only 28 of the 35 items had more than 80% agreement, and matching responses ranged from 75.3% to 91.4% across age groups.