Dyslexia Assessment in Amharic

Abstract

The Dyslexia Assessment in Amharic (Mekonnen, 2023) is a comprehensive ten-test battery designed for the assessment of dyslexia. Its development involved a thorough review of established dyslexia assessment instruments in both alphabetic and non-alphabetic languages. Test items were meticulously selected from a vocabulary list extracted from a Grade 3 Amharic textbook, and all items were developed by a clinical linguist, the author. Content validity was established through expert item analysis. Each of the ten tests—Letter naming, Word reading, Pseudoword reading, Spelling, Passage reading, Reading comprehension, Listening comprehension, Phonological awareness-elision, Verbal short-term memory-digit span, and Orthographic processing—includes two practice items. The measure’s validation was conducted using a sample of Grade 3 students from public schools in Addis Ababa. Factor analysis revealed a four-factor structure. No significant differences were observed between the measurement results of subscales and the total scale (all p > 0.05). Internal consistency and test-retest reliability were also reported, demonstrating strong reliability. The total testing time for the battery ranged from 45 to 90 minutes, varying based on the student’s ability.

Keywords

Amharic Language; Comprehension; Dyslexia; Orthographic Processing; Phonological-Naming and Decoding; Verbal Short-Term Memory

Authors

Mekonnen, Abebayehu Messele

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Purpose

This test battery was developed specifically to assess children for dyslexia in the Amharic language.

Validity

Construct Validity: Evidence of construct validity was obtained through comprehensive factor analyses.

Reliability

Internal Consistency: All ten tests within the battery demonstrated reliability coefficients greater than 0.70.
Test-Retest Reliability: With a two-week interval between administrations, the test-retest reliability for each subscale and the total score ranged between 0.894 and 1, indicating excellent stability over time.

Factor Analysis

Principal Component Analysis: Initial Principal Component Analysis (PCA) using varimax rotations identified a two-factor structure with eigenvalues greater than 1. This two-factor solution accounted for 73.368% of the total variance, with Factor 1 contributing 62.876% and Factor 2 contributing 10.491%.
Confirmatory Factor Analysis: Although the first two factors contributed significantly to the variance, both the third and fourth factors also contributed substantially, with 9.472% and 5.639% to the total variance, respectively. Based on these findings, a Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) for four factors was conducted. The results provided theoretical support for a four-factor solution extracted from the reading-related assessment battery. The identified factors are: Phonological-naming and decoding; Comprehension; Verbal short-term memory; and Orthographic processing.

Instrument

Test Type: Original
Instrument Type: Battery
Construct: Dyslexia
Format:

• Word and Pseudoword Reading tests: Participants are required to read aloud words presented on a list.

• Spelling test: Participants are required to carefully listen to and write down each word read to them.

• Passage reading test: Participants are required to read two passages orally.

• Reading comprehension test: The same two passages from the Passage reading test are used. Three to five comprehension questions are presented orally, and participants provide oral answers.

• Listening Comprehension test: Participants are required to listen to a taped recording of each listening comprehension passage before being orally asked to provide answers to comprehension questions orally.

• Phonological awareness test: Participants are required to first say a word and then produce the (pseudo)word obtained after a specific sound segment is deleted from the original word.

• Orthographic processing: Participants are instructed to say “yes” if they believe a prime is a word and “no” if they believe it is not a word.

Language Available: Amharic
Population Group: Human; Male; Female
Age Group: Childhood (birth-12 yrs); School Age (6-12 yrs)
Population Details:

• Location: Ethiopia

• Respondents: Grade 3 Students

Test Methodology: Test Validity; Construct Validity; Content Validity; Test Reliability; Internal Consistency; Test-Retest Reliability; Factor Analysis; Confirmatory Factor Analysis; Principal Component Analysis.
Number of items: This is a 10-test battery.
Test Items Available: No data is Available

Keywords

Amharic Language; Cognitive Assessment; Dyslexia; Foreign Language Translation; Learning Disorders; Listening Comprehension; Orthography; Phonological Awareness; Reading Comprehension; Short Term Memory; Test Battery

Authors

Author: Mekonnen, Abebayehu Messele
Author ORCID Identifier: No data is Available
Affiliation: Addis Ababa University, College of Humanities, Department of Linguistics
Email Addresses: [email protected]
Correspondence Address: Mekonnen, Abebayehu Messele: Addis Ababa University, College of Humanities, Department of Linguistics, Main Campus, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, [email protected]

Permissions & Fee and Test Year

Permissions: Contact Corresponding Author
Commercial: No
Fee: No
Test Year: 2023

References

Mekonnen, A. M. (2023). Dyslexia assessment in Amharic. Educational Psychology in Practice, 39(2), 154–177. https://doi.org/10.1080/02667363.2023.2176827

Items of the Dyslexia Assessment in Amharic

The Dyslexia Assessment in Amharic battery comprises ten distinct tests:

1. Letter Naming

2. Word Reading

3. Pseudoword Reading

4. Spelling

5. Passage Reading

6. Reading Comprehension

7. Listening Comprehension

8. Phonological Awareness-Elision

9. Verbal Short-Term Memory-Digit Span

10. Orthographic Processing