Anne Laurie, PhD

The goal of the present study was to investigate the performance of four Filipino–English bilingual kindergarteners with language difficulties on a dynamic assessment of English narratives. Using a multiple case-study design, we examined the children’s modifiability by detailing their responsiveness, level of skill transfer, and the amount and type of effort the examiner expended during two mediation sessions. We also assessed the children’s narrative skills using the Test of Narrative Language—second edition (TNL-2). During mediation, similarities among the four children included difficulty answering wh-questions, little transfer of the newly learned skills, frequent focus on the story problem, and the need for continual prompting and repetition. However, the children showed individual learning styles, behavior when learning, and learning potential, prompting the examiner to apply different strategies to support their individual abilities. Gains on the TNL-2 were also negligible, consistent with the modifiability findings, apart from one child who showed improvement in comprehension scores. The case studies provide novel information regarding the narrative skills of Filipino bilingual children with language difficulties, an under-researched population. They can help guide expectations of such children during a dynamic assessment and suggest mediation strategies that clinicians could incorporate into their practice with other groups of bilingual children.

This study addresses this need by investigating the accuracy of a novel curriculum-based dynamic assessment of narratives in distinguishing bilingual children with language difficulties (LDs) from children with typically developing (TD) language.

Papineau, E., Zora, S., McCuaig, V., Laurie, A. (2018, March). Shaping identity and sustaining community: Self-Assertion of minority groups. Panel presented at le Centre d’Études Ethniques des Universités Montréalaises, Montréal, Canada

Sloat, E., Laurie, A., Schryer, E., and Laurie, R. (2018, May). Effects of an Animated Book Reading Intervention on Emergent Literacy. CSSE: Regina, Saskatchewan.

The initial prototype, which we are inviting community organizations to use and adapt to their needs, takes the form of an audio enabled ebook as well as the software and a series of templates used for developing future materials. We introduce the OurStories software, its interactive features, and
the research-based development process. We also discuss plans to expand the project into a program directed by in-group members of Indigenous language communities who wish to continue the development of pedagogically sound technologies.