Adapting a receptive vocabulary test for preschool-aged Greek-speaking children

Q: Why is receptive vocabulary important for language evaluation?

Receptive vocabulary is a critical measure for assessing language comprehension. Delays or difficulties in word learning can be early indicators of language acquisition problems.

Q: What is the main goal of the study?

The study aims to adapt the ROWPVT-II receptive vocabulary test from American English to Modern Greek for Greek-speaking preschool-aged children.

Q: How were the Greek word lists and developmental order created?

Two Greek wordlists (A and B) were built to correspond to target English concepts and pictured objects, using adult word frequency to select items. A developmental order was then derived using accuracy data from 427 children.

Sep 29, 2026

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Receptive vocabulary is a key indicator in language assessments, yet Modern Greek lacks a norm-referenced receptive vocabulary test. The study adapts the American English Receptive One-Word Picture Vocabulary Test-II (ROWPVT-II) for Greek preschoolers by replacing the 170 English word targets with two matched Greek wordlists and establishing a developmental acquisition order. Data from 427 children supported item difficulty estimation, list comparability, and new starting levels (basals).

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages13

Reading Time33 min

AccessFree to download

Abstract

Background

Aims

Methods & Procedures

Outcomes & Results

Conclusions & Implications

Keywords

Introduction

INT J LANG COMMUN DISORD, JANUARY–FEBRUARY 2011, VOL. 46, NO. 1, 95–107 Research Report Adapting a receptive vocabulary test for preschool-aged Greek-speaking children Areti Okalidou†, Asimina Syrika‡, Mary E. Beckman§ and Jan R. Edwards¶†Department of Educational and Social Policy, University of Macedonia, Salonika, Greece ‡Waisman Center, Department of Communicative Disorders, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, USA §Department of Linguistics, Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, USA ¶Department of Communicative Disorders, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, USA (Received 3 April 2009; accepted 28 January 2010) Abstract Background: Receptive vocabulary is an important measure for language evaluations. Therefore, norm-referenced receptive vocabulary tests are widely used in several languages. However, a receptive vocabulary test has not yet been normed for Modern Greek. Aims: To adapt an American English vocabulary test, the Receptive One-Word Picture Vocabulary Test-II (ROWPVT-II), for Modern Greek for use with Greek-speaking preschool children. Methods & Procedures: The list of 170 English words on ROWPVT-II was adapted by (1) developing two lists (A and B) of Greek words that would match either the target English word or another concept corresponding to one of the pictured objects in the four-picture array; and (2) determining a developmental order for the chosen Greek words for preschool-aged children. For the ﬁrst task, adult word frequency measures were used to select the words for the Greek wordlist. For the second task, 427 children, 225 boys and 202 girls, ranging in age from 2;0 years to 5;11 years, were recruited from urban and suburban areas of Greece. A pilot study of the two wordlists was performed with the aim of comparing an equal number of list A and list B responses for each age group and deriving a new developmental list order. Outcomes & Results: The relative difﬁculty of each Greek word item, that is, its accuracy score, was calculated by taking the average proportion of correct responses across ages for that word. Subsequently, the word accuracy scores in the two lists were compared via regression analysis, which yielded a highly signiﬁcant relationship (R2 = 0.97; p < 0.0001) and a few outlier pairs (via residuals) . Further analysis used the original relative ranking order along with the derived ranking order from the average accuracy scores ofthe two lists in order to determine which word item from the two lists was a better ﬁt. Finally, new starting levels (basals) were established for preschool ages. Conclusions & Implications: The revised word list can serve as the basis for adapting a receptive vocabulary test for Greek preschool-aged children. Further steps need to be taken when testing larger numbers of 2;0 to 5;11-year-old children on the revised word list for determination of norms. This effort will facilitate early identiﬁcation andremediation of language disorders in Modern Greek-speaking children. Keywords: receptive vocabulary, test adaptation, Greek language tests, Greek. What this paper adds It contributes a methodology for adapting vocabulary tests to another language. Address correspondence to: Areti Okalidou, Department of Educational and Social Policy, University of Macedonia, 156 Egnatias Street, PO Box 1591, Salonika 540 06, Greece; e-mail: [okalidou@uom.gr](okalidou@uom.gr) International Journal of Language & Communication Disorders ISSN 1368-2822 print/ISSN 1460-6984 online 􀀂c 2010 Royal College of Speech & Language Therapists DOI: 10.3109/13682821003671486 14606984, 2011, 1, Downloaded from [https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.3109/13682821003671486 by University Of Pennsylvania, Wiley Online Library on [28/12/2022]. See the Terms and Conditions (](https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.3109/13682821003671486 by University Of Pennsylvania, Wiley Online Library on [28/12/2022]. See the Terms and Conditions ()[https://

FAQs

Why is receptive vocabulary important for language evaluation?

Receptive vocabulary is a critical measure for assessing language comprehension. Delays or difficulties in word learning can be early indicators of language acquisition problems.

What is the main goal of the study?

The study aims to adapt the ROWPVT-II receptive vocabulary test from American English to Modern Greek for Greek-speaking preschool-aged children.

How were the Greek word lists and developmental order created?

Two Greek wordlists (A and B) were built to correspond to target English concepts and pictured objects, using adult word frequency to select items. A developmental order was then derived using accuracy data from 427 children.

Sep 29, 2026

Upload by hdkawk