Close Gap Test Strategies for Students with Severe Speech Impairment

Introduction. The level of formedness of text competence at secondary school in the aspect of understanding the text’s factual information ensures the successful grasping of the learning content. The purpose of the research was to identify the specifics of the functioning of linear deployment mechanisms and probabilistic forecasting among learners of 5–10th grade (form) with specific language impairment.
Materials and Methods. The modified close gap test method was used as the main research method at the level of the ascertaining experiment. The results of the close gap tests, filled by learners, were exposed to quantitative and qualitative analysis. The research was conducted by applying theoretical (interpretive) and empirical (ascertaining experiment based on author’s method) methods. The analytical stage involved the use of the method of correlation analysis, the mathematical processing was carried out with the help of one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA).
Results. Analysis of experimental data helped determine the close gap test strategies in adolescent students with specific language impairment. The qualitative and quantitative analysis of studentsʼ work was applied to determine three main groups of strategies for linear deployment and probabilistic forecasting: strategies for establishing semantic links at the level of the lexical component, a strategy for establishing links at the level of associations, and no strategy. Furthermore, the analysis of substitutes with regard to their compliance with grammatical requirements revealed the following typology of manifestations of agrammatism: the use of an inadequate part of speech, deficiencies of grammatical presentation in phrases, non-compliance of the grammatical form of the substitute with the requirements for the grammatical design of the sentence. Correlation analysis was applied to establish links between different types of close gap test strategies used by adolescents with specific language impairment, as well as their relationship with the levels of understanding the factual content of the text.
Discussion and Conclusion. The results obtained contribute to the development of developmental psycholinguistics, special pedagogy, speech therapy and school methods of speech development.