Developing and Validating Accurate Test Scale for Mandarin Vocabulary Comprehension Ability of Preschool Children

The purpose of this study is to develop an accurate test scale for vocabulary comprehension ability applicable to Mandarin-speaking preschool children aged 3-5.

First, an initial scale was developed and evaluated using the expert consultation method. Subsequently, 490 typically developing 3-5-year-old Mandarin-speaking children were selected as subjects through convenience sampling, and individual tests were conducted in the form of 'following instructions to point to target pictures'. A formal scale was formed through item analysis, reliability analysis and validity analysis of the test scores. Finally, developmental norms for vocabulary comprehension ability in these children were established based on classification criteria of age and gender.

This study developed an accurate test scale for vocabulary comprehension ability in Mandarin-speaking preschool children aged 3-5, consisting of 30 nouns, 20 verbs and 30 adjectives. The results showed that the item difficulty for each word category was moderate (0.54-0.59), with good discriminability (0.60-0.70 > 0.40) and the biserial correlation coefficients (0.457-0.774) all reached a significant level (all p < 0.05). The homogeneity reliability (0.825-0.846 > 0.70), split-half reliability (0.817-0.854 > 0.70) and test-retest reliability (0.812-0.832 > 0.70) were all high. The construct validity was good (the correlation coefficients between dimensions were 0.497-0.574 > 0.4; the correlation coefficients between each dimension and the total score were 0.749-0.846 > 0.7, all p < 0.05). The criterion validity was also good (the correlation coefficients with PPVT-R were 0.721-0.794 > 0.70, all p < 0.05). Based on the results of the formal scale, developmental norms for vocabulary comprehension ability in Mandarin-speaking preschool children were established based on age and gender.

The accurate test scale for vocabulary comprehension ability in Mandarin-speaking preschool children aged 3-5 developed in this study can provide a scientific tool for screening and dynamic monitoring of vocabulary comprehension ability in typically developing children, and also serve as a basis for accurate assessment, early intervention and rehabilitation treatment of vocabulary comprehension disorders in special children.

What is already known on this subject Vocabulary comprehension is the foundation of vocabulary acquisition, and it is of great significance to conduct regular assessments of vocabulary comprehension ability development for Mandarin-speaking preschool children. However, existing assessment tools have obvious limitations in terms of the breadth of content coverage, the accuracy of functional positioning, and the timeliness of norms, making it difficult to comprehensively and dynamically reflect the developmental level of children's vocabulary comprehension ability. What this paper adds to existing knowledge Accurate assessment is the foundation for clinical evaluation and early intervention of vocabulary comprehension deficits in children. To address the limitations of existing tools, this study integrated widely used clinical language assessment instruments and paradigms for Mandarin-speaking preschool children. Guided by the developmental patterns and characteristics of vocabulary acquisition, we constructed an accurate vocabulary comprehension assessment scale for Mandarin-speaking children aged 3-5, comprising 30 nouns, 20 verbs and 30 adjectives. Furthermore, based on the formal scale's results, we established developmental norms stratified by age and gender, providing a standardized reference for accurate assessment. What are the potential or actual clinical implications of this work? The assessment scale developed in this study can not only meet the needs of screening and longitudinal monitoring of vocabulary comprehension in typically developing children, but also provide a basis for accurate assessment of vocabulary comprehension disorders in special children (e.g., developmental language disorder, autism spectrum disorder). By providing quantifiable benchmarks, it establishes an empirical foundation for tailored early intervention and rehabilitation planning, thereby bridging theoretical rigor with clinical utility.