The Effect of Language Proficiency and Question Type on Children’s Response Accuracy

The purpose of the present study was to examine the accuracy with which young children respond to different types of questions. Additionally, the study explored whether the children’s language development affects their response accuracy. They study was conducted in two kindergartens in Neyshabur, Iran, and the sample consisted of ۲۵ Persian-speaking young children aged ۳ to ۶ years, who participated in the study by listening to a short story and answering ۲۴ questions of varying types. The analysis of the results revealed that children's language proficiency significantly influenced the accuracy of their responses, with more proficient children providing more accurate answers. Further analysis of the results showed that children provided the most accurate answers to yes/no questions. Forced-choice questions elicited more accurate responses than open-ended questions. These findings suggest that children's limited language proficiency and their restricted memory span may constrain the reliability of their responses to certain types of questions.

کلیدواژه ها:

language proficiency ، question type ، response accuracy ، suggestibility ، young children