Tell Me What Happened: Validation of a Measurement Tool to Assess Kindergarten Children’s Oral Narrative Ability

Oral narrative ability contributes to classroom participation and academic success. The aim of this study was to validate a measurement tool (MuTex) that was developed to assess oral narrative ability. MuTex draws from qualitative video study analyses and theoretical models of interaction, representation, text, and genre. It integrates cross-disciplinary concepts into a novel measurement tool. The sample consisted of 292 kindergarten children (46 % girls; mean age at T0 = 58.4 months; SD = 4.4). Interrater reliability, factorial structure, and longitudinal measurement invariance were examined over three assessments spanning 18 months. Additionally, correlations with empirically established factors linked to oral narrative ability, assessed within this study, were examined, including age, executive functions, use of the official school language at home, and the parent’s level of education. Excellent interrater reliability was achieved. Confirmatory factor analyses showed a good fit for the expected four-factor structure and McDonald’s omega demonstrated high reliability. Furthermore, configural, partial metric and partial scalar invariance was achieved. In line with previous research, positive correlations with age, executive functions, use of the official school language at home, and parent’s level of education were found. These findings support the construct and criterion validity along with the reliability of the MuTex instrument.