Evaluating listening comprehension in children using a dynamic assessment approach : an exploratory study

Abstract

The aim of this study was to investigate the psychometric properties of the Dynamic Assessment Test of Listening Comprehension4–6 (DATLC4–6) for Portuguese preschoolers aged four to six years old. The test construction was based on the principles of dynamic assessment, specifically the gradual prompts model. The test includes 40 multiple-choice items, each of which includes three types of prompts. A total of 108 Portuguese preschool children participated in the study. High corrected item-total correlations were obtained. The principal component analysis results suggested that a single factor explains a high percentage of the results’ variance. The value of Cronbach’s alpha coefficient indicates a notably high internal consistency. The preliminary analysis of the DATLC4-6 suggests adequate psychometric properties. Limitations and directions for future studies are discussed.