Semester

Spring

Date of Graduation

2025

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Type

MS

College

School of Medicine

Department

Communication Sciences and Disorders

Committee Chair

Megan Israelsen-Augenstein

Committee Co-Chair

Jayne Brandel

Committee Member

Jayne Brandel

Committee Member

Anna Coy

Abstract

ABSTRACT

Predictors of Success in Whole-Classroom Narrative Interventions for Elementary School Children

Malia Sayavong

Purpose:

Developmental Language Disorder (DLD) is a neurodevelopmental communication disorder that significantly affects a child’s ability to acquire and use language for speaking, listening, reading, and writing. Children with DLD often experience persistent difficulties with vocabulary, grammar, comprehension, and narrative construction, which can interfere with academic achievement and social interaction. Classroom-based narrative interventions have shown promise in supporting language growth in this population, yet not all students benefit equally. Multiple individual characteristics—including language profiles, cognitive abilities, and environmental factors—may influence intervention outcomes. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to identify student characteristics that may predict response to a whole-classroom narrative intervention.

Method:

Thirty students from one 1st grade (n = 14) and one 2nd grade (n = 16) classroom in southern West Virginia participated in a 10-week whole classroom narrative intervention using the Supporting Knowledge in Language and Literacy program (SKILL; Gillam et al., 2017). The intervention was delivered twice weekly by a school-based SLP with support from university faculty and monitored for fidelity via recorded sessions, achieving an average fidelity rate above 94%. Students were assessed pre- and post-intervention using a comprehensive battery of standardized assessments measuring nonverbal intelligence (KBIT-2), phonological memory (CTOPP-2), language proficiency (CELF-5), and narrative comprehension and production (TNL-2). In addition, students generated a spontaneous story based on a single-scene prompt, which was transcribed and analyzed using the MISL rubric to assess narrative macrostructure and microstructure. Regression analysis was conducted to determine which student characteristics best predicted narrative gains following the intervention.

Results:

Descriptive statistics showed no significant differences between 1st and 2nd grade students at pretest or posttest across language and narrative measures. A multiple regression analysis revealed that general language ability (CELF-5) and narrative ability (TNL-2) jointly explained 38.5% of the variance in posttest narrative scores, though the model did not reach significance. Simple slopes analysis suggested CELF-5 scores were predictive of narrative outcomes only when TNL-2 scores were low. A second regression predicting macrostructure scores revealed a non-significant interaction between CELF-5 and TNL-2, though trends suggested a stronger negative relationship between CELF-5 and macrostructure at lower narrative abilities. Lastly, regression analysis predicting microstructure scores showed a significant interaction between CELF-5 and TNL-2 (p = .044), with CELF-5 negatively predicting microstructure when TNL-2 scores were low. These results suggest that students with weaker initial narrative abilities may benefit less from intervention when general language scores are higher, highlighting the moderating role of narrative language skills in treatment response.

Discussion:

Findings revealed that initial narrative proficiency, rather than general language skills, was the strongest predictor of gains following a whole-classroom narrative intervention. While regression models for overall proficiency, macrostructure, and microstructure approached significance, interaction trends suggested that students with stronger baseline storytelling abilities benefited most, even when general language scores were lower. Conversely, students with higher CELF-5 scores but weak narrative skills demonstrated less growth, highlighting a disconnect between sentence-level and discourse-level language abilities. These results highlight the importance of using narrative-specific assessments, such as the TNL-2 and MISL, to guide intervention planning. Whole-class narrative instruction using the SKILL program proved feasible and broadly effective, particularly within a multi-tiered system of support. Limitations included a small sample size, limited generalizability, and the use of a single narrative task. Future research should examine intervention responsiveness across larger, more diverse samples and include a wider range of outcome measures and contextual factors.

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