Elicited vs. spontaneous language as methods for the assessment of grammatical development: The DEME assessment tool

Introduction and objectives

This study compares data collection approaches in the assessment of grammatical development in Spanish-speaking children. Specifically, we compared error rates produced in data collected using samples from spontaneous language versus elicited production, using both broad (overall) and narrow measures (errors with noun phrases).

Methods and participants

Monolingual-Spanish-speaking five-year-olds (n = 55) were divided into typical language development (TL) and at-risk (Risk) according to a preexisting test, Tamiz de Problemas del Lenguaje. All children completed an elicited production and a narrative task.

Results

Children in the TL group outperform children in the Risk group in all measures used in this study. Statistically significant differences were found between children at Risk and TL children in both spontaneous and elicited language measures, although the effect size of the elicited language measures was considerably higher. Elicited and spontaneous tasks are more likely to produce results that are in accord than in disaccord. However, when results are in disaccord, the results almost always show low performance in elicited language but high performance in spontaneous language. Elicitation methods do not seem to have an impact on the type of error produced for neither narrow nor broad measures.