Developing and Validating Accurate Test Scale for Mandarin Vocabulary Comprehension Ability of Preschool Children

What is already known on this subject Vocabulary comprehension is the foundation of vocabulary acquisition, and it is of great significance to conduct regular assessments of vocabulary comprehension ability development for Mandarin-speaking preschool children. However, existing assessment tools have obvious limitations in terms of the breadth of content coverage, the accuracy of functional positioning, and the timeliness of norms, making it difficult to comprehensively and dynamically reflect the developmental level of children's vocabulary comprehension ability. What this paper adds to existing knowledge Accurate assessment is the foundation for clinical evaluation and early intervention of vocabulary comprehension deficits in children. To address the limitations of existing tools, this study integrated widely used clinical language assessment instruments and paradigms for Mandarin-speaking preschool children. Guided by the developmental patterns and characteristics of vocabulary acquisition, we constructed an accurate vocabulary comprehension assessment scale for Mandarin-speaking children aged 3-5, comprising 30 nouns, 20 verbs and 30 adjectives. Furthermore, based on the formal scale's results, we established developmental norms stratified by age and gender, providing a standardized reference for accurate assessment. What are the potential or actual clinical implications of this work? The assessment scale developed in this study can not only meet the needs of screening and longitudinal monitoring of vocabulary comprehension in typically developing children, but also provide a basis for accurate assessment of vocabulary comprehension disorders in special children (e.g., developmental language disorder, autism spectrum disorder). By providing quantifiable benchmarks, it establishes an empirical foundation for tailored early intervention and rehabilitation planning, thereby bridging theoretical rigor with clinical utility.