Stories From Near and Far: Evaluating Kindergarten-Age Students' Performance on Narrative Tasks Administered In-Person and Remotely

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to examine the difference in performance on Narrative Language Measures-Listening (NLM-Listening; Petersen & Spencer, 2016) when administered via telepractice versus in-person for typically developing kindergarten-age participants. Method: Twenty-four typically developing kindergarten-age students were administered the NLM-Listening in-person and via telepractice as part of a kindergarten screening process. Raw scores earned on the assessments were compared using a quasi-experimental, repeated-measures design. Administration time was also compared between the two conditions as a primary variable. Scores from behavioral checklists examining student performance were compared to determine reliability between telepractice and in-person delivery. Results: No statistically significant differences were noted for the assessment between telepractice and in-person in terms of raw scores earned or administration time. Results from analysis of the behavioral checklist suggest that student behavior was similar across the two testing conditions. Conclusions: The current study contributes to the existing research between in-person and telepractice assessment. Results demonstrate that typically developing students performed similarly between the two testing conditions in terms of raw scores earned on the narrative assessment, time to complete the assessment, and behavioral ratings on a clinician checklist.