Validity evidence of the Test of Narrative Language (TNL) adapted to Brazilian Portuguese

Abstract

ABSTRACT Purpose: to furnish psychometric evidence of the Test of Narrative Language version, examining a) the equivalence and analysis of internal consistency; b) performance differentiation per age; c) convergent validity; and d) dimensionality analysis. Methods: the adapted test version was applied to 68 children with typical development, aged 5 to 6 years and 11 months, from private and public schools. The data were analyzed for the reliability and validity of the instrument. Results: in the three narrative comprehension items, the highest scores were obtained when the story was told with five pictures in a logical sequence, followed by the one with a single picture, and lastly, the one with no pictures. In the three narrative production tasks, the best performance was in the story told along with a single picture, followed by the five pictures in a logical sequence, and lastly, the one with no pictures. There was no significant difference in the scores of all private-school children and in those of the 6-year-old public- and private-school children. The single-factor structure better explained the instrument dimensionality. Conclusion: the reliability and validity evidence demonstrated its indication, and the potential of the results must be taken into account for future standardized construction to assess oral narrative.