Supplementary Material for: A longitudinal investigation of oral inferential comprehension in French-speaking preschoolers: results from the ELLAN study

Introduction: Inferential comprehension is a complex language skill fundamental for social competence and reading comprehension. Evidence from the literature demonstrates that this ability develops early in a child’s life. Using a longitudinal design, this study aims to describe the early developmental trajectory of oral inferential comprehension ability in young typically developing French-speaking children from 3;6 to 5;6 years of age. Methods: A narrative-based oral inferential comprehension task was administered to a group of typically developing children (n=79) at 3;6, 4;6 and 5;6 years old; as part of the Early Longitudinal Language and Neglect [ELLAN] study. A total of 19 inferential questions were classified into six types of causal inferences targeting the comprehension of story grammar elements. Results: Inferential comprehension total scores showed significant improvement across all three time points, with the most significant increase between 3;6 and 4;6 years of age. At 3;6 years old, questions about the problem of the story, goal, and characters’ internal responses were better answered compared to questions about the attempts to solve the problem, predictions, and the story’s resolution. By 5;6 years of age, no ceiling effects were observed for any of the inference types, indicating ongoing development of inferential comprehension ability. Conclusion: Such longitudinal data documenting a developmental sequence of early oral inferential comprehension supports the importance of initiating assessments and interventions of this complex skill from an early age, especially from 3;6 to 4;6 years old, a period marked by significant growth.

引言：推理理解（inferential comprehension）是一项复杂的语言技能，对社交能力与阅读理解均具有基础性作用。现有文献证据表明，该能力在儿童生命早期便开始发展。本研究采用纵向研究设计，旨在描述3;6岁至5;6岁的典型发育法语母语儿童的口头推理理解能力早期发展轨迹。
方法：作为早期纵向语言与忽视[ELLAN]（Early Longitudinal Language and Neglect）研究的一部分，本研究在3;6、4;6及5;6岁时，对79名典型发育儿童施测了一项基于叙事的口头推理理解任务（narrative-based oral inferential comprehension task）。研究共设置19道推理理解问题，被划分为6类因果推理题型，针对故事语法要素的理解展开考察。
结果：推理理解总分在三个时间点均呈现显著提升，其中3;6岁至4;6岁年龄段的提升幅度最为显著。在3;6岁时，儿童对故事问题、目标及角色内部反应类问题的作答表现优于解决问题尝试、预测及故事结局类问题。至5;6岁时，所有推理题型均未出现天花板效应（ceiling effects），表明推理理解能力仍在持续发展。
结论：本研究的纵向数据记录了早期口头推理理解能力的发展序列，证实了从早期阶段——尤其是3;6岁至4;6岁这一显著成长阶段——就启动该复杂技能的评估与干预的重要性。