The Language Experience and Proficiency Questionnaire (LEAP-Q): assessing language profiles in bilinguals and multilinguals.
OBJECTIVE
To develop a reliable and valid questionnaire of bilingual language status with predictable relationships between self-reported and behavioral measures.


METHODS
In Study 1, the internal validity of the Language Experience and Proficiency Questionnaire (LEAP-Q) was established on the basis of self-reported data from 52 multilingual adult participants. In Study 2, criterion-based validity was established on the basis of standardized language tests and self-reported measures from 50 adult Spanish-English bilinguals. Reliability and validity of the questionnaire were established on healthy adults whose literacy levels were equivalent to that of someone with a high school education or higher.


RESULTS
Factor analyses revealed consistent factors across both studies and suggested that the LEAP-Q was internally valid. Multiple regression and correlation analyses established criterion-based validity and suggested that self-reports were reliable indicators of language performance. Self-reported reading proficiency was a more accurate predictor of first-language performance, and self-reported speaking proficiency was a more accurate predictor of second-language performance. Although global measures of self-reported proficiency were generally predictive of language ability, deriving a precise estimate of performance on a particular task required that specific aspects of language history be taken into account.


CONCLUSIONS
The LEAP-Q is a valid, reliable, and efficient tool for assessing the language profiles of multilingual, neurologically intact adult populations in research settings.
Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, Northwestern University, 2240 Campus Drive, Evanston, IL 60208, USA. v-marian@northwestern.edu
Viorica
V
Marian
Henrike K
HK
Blumenfeld
Margarita
M
Kaushanskaya
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007807:Language Tests / Q000592:standards*; D008297:Male; D019303:Multilingualism; D011932:Reading; D012044:Regression Analysis; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012647:Self-Assessment; D013060:Speech; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires / Q000592:standards*