ERIC Number: EJ1449629
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2024-Sep
Pages: 16
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1368-2822
EISSN: EISSN-1460-6984
Alouette-R Normative Data for French-Speaking School-Aged Children Living in Quebec
Lou Champagne; Dima Safi; Bruno Gauthier
International Journal of Language & Communication Disorders, v59 n5 p2071-2086 2024
Background: The Alouette-R (2005) by Lefavrais is one of the most widely used tools to assess reading skills in French. However, this instrument does not have normative data specific to the French-speaking population of Quebec, Canada. Aims: The validity of an assessment being strongly compromised when using inappropriate norms, the first objective of this study was to establish local norms for the Alouette-R. The second objective was to provide sensitivity and specificity data for each Alouette-R measure in the French-speaking Quebec population. The third objective was to compare Quebec and French normative data and their sensitivity to better understand the applicability and effectiveness of the Alouette-R test at the regional level. Methods & Procedures: A total of 347 fluent readers and 48 children with dyslexia from 3rd to 6th grades were recruited from different regions in Quebec. Participants had to read aloud the 265-word text of the Alouette-R in a maximum of 3 min. Outcomes & Results: Norms (means, standard deviations and percentiles) by school grades were created for each test measure: reading time, number of words read, number of errors, number of words correctly read, reading accuracy index and reading fluency index. The sensitivity (i.e., the ability to correctly identify children with dyslexia) and specificity (i.e., the ability to correctly identify children without dyslexia) of these measurements were also documented. The norms and their sensitivity were then compared with those of the original French study by Lefavrais in 2005. Conclusions & Implications: The presence of differences between European and Quebec norms supports the importance of using local norms when assessing language skills. The reading accuracy and fluency indexes are the measurements that best discriminated children with dyslexia from those without a reading disorder in our study. This study will allow clinicians working in Quebec to have a better interpretation of the Alouette-R measurements and ultimately avoid erroneous conclusions resulting from the use of foreign normative data.
Descriptors: Foreign Countries, Elementary School Students, French Canadians, French, Reading Skills, Reading Tests, Dyslexia, Students with Disabilities, Local Norms, Test Validity, Reading Diagnosis, Reading Fluency, Reading Rate, Error of Measurement, Test Reliability
Wiley. Available from: John Wiley & Sons, Inc. 111 River Street, Hoboken, NJ 07030. Tel: 800-835-6770; e-mail: cs-journals@wiley.com; Web site: https://bibliotheek.ehb.be:2191/en-us
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Elementary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Canada
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A