PPVT Narrative

The Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test, Fourth Addition (PPVT) is an assessment designed

to “measure the receptive vocabulary of children and adults” (Dunn & Dunn, 2007, p. 5). The

PPVT helps us understand what vocabulary a child understands compared to other children

similar in age. It is an untimed test and administered individually. The examinee is shown four

pictures, he or she then chooses one out of the four that “…illustrates the meaning of a

stimulus word spoken by the examiner” (Dunn & Dunn, 2007, p. 5). I assessed my niece who is

two years old and six months. The assessment was done in C.C’s home with her mom present.

When I arrived, I had C.C’s mom read and sign the permission slip and explained what the

assessment was. I did the assessment at their kitchen table with her mom sitting at the table as

well. There was a booster seat for C.C to sit on so she could reach the top of the table

comfortably. The table was cleared off and the TV was off to avoid any distractions. I asked C.C.

if she would like to look at a book with pictures in it. She said yes and asked me to open up the

book. I placed a sticky note in the designated spot to begin the assessment.

I explained to C.C. that I have a book with pictures in it, and said, “I am going to say a

word and you will show me where it is on the page.” As we began the assessment C.C would

sometimes repeat the words I would say. For example, I said, “Put your finger on flower.” She

would then repeat and say, “flower” as she looked at all four pictures. Throughout the

assessment we took two breaks. The first time C.C. wanted to run around the island in the

kitchen. After running around for a few minutes, we started the assessment again. The next

break we took, C.C. wanted to color. We took a break and colored in her coloring book until she
was ready to continue. Throughout the assessment C.C. assisted me in turning the pages of the

book.

One problem that may have impacted the test results was when C.C. did not want to put

her finger on the picture. At this moment I waited around ten to fifteen seconds and asked her

again. She sat there and looked at me, I waited and repeated myself. My lack of understanding

on what to do when she wouldn’t chose a picture may have impacted the score. I repeated the

words more frequently and caught myself changing my tone in voice. These results may have

been impacted to my lack of tone of voice. The assessment took a total of twenty five minutes.

On October 10, 2019 C.C. demonstrated knowledge of vocabulary stipulated in this exam, for

her average age group. The test results concluded to be high in average showing an age of 3

years and 3 months in the 77 percentile.

References

Dunn, L. & Dunn, D. 2007. Peabody picture vocabulary test (4th ed.). Bloomington, MN: Pearson