- Title
- Development of a new aphasia test for Vietnamese people (Vietnamese aphasia test)
- Creator
- Le, Khanh Dien
- Relation
- University of Newcastle Research Higher Degree Thesis
- Resource Type
- thesis
- Date
- 2021
- Description
- Research Doctorate - Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
- Description
- The incidence of stroke in Viet Nam is approximately as high as in most countries and many stroke survivors live with the effects of stroke including aphasia. Speech and language therapy (SALT) is an emerging profession in Viet Nam, though there is a lack of in-country SALT assessment and treatment resources. Therefore, non-standardised aphasia assessments have been used by Vietnamese speech and language therapists (SALTs) in clinical practice to meet aphasia assessment demand in hospitals and rehabilitation centres. The literature indicates that aphasia should be assessed using a standardised assessment tool for development of an individually tailored therapy plan. A standardised aphasia test helps clinicians diagnose, establish baseline language function, and identify communication strengths and weaknesses, which is necessary for the development of appropriate intervention. The use of standardised tools can improve the quality of clinical practice and research. This thesis aimed to develop a prototype of an aphasia test for Vietnamese people and establish content validity for this test. Based on relevant literature and contextual factors in Viet Nam, a model for development of a new aphasia test was developed, consisting of seven stages. This thesis presents the details of Stages 1–4, with Stages 5–7 to be undertaken in the post-PhD period. For Stage 1, Chapter 1 provides a detailed review of the current context in Viet Nam, including the large population, high incidence of stroke and high government interest in rehabilitation for people after stroke. The development of SALT as a new profession in Viet Nam is detailed alongside the absence of SALT resources including aphasia assessments in clinical settings, highlighting the need for a standardised aphasia test for Vietnamese people with aphasia. For Stage 2, Chapter 2 presents a systematic review of the literature regarding the translation and adaptation of existing English-language aphasia assessments. The aims of the review were to investigate the rationale for selecting a specific aphasia assessment for translation and adaptation, as well as the processes of translation and adaptation used by the researchers. The inability to identify the ‘best process’ for translation and adaptation of an existing aphasia assessment and the substantial differences between English and Vietnamese cultures and languages led to the decision to develop a new aphasia test in Vietnamese. The development of the test, titled ‘Bộ lượng giá mất ngôn ngữ cho người Việt Nam’ (‘Vietnamese Aphasia Test’ [VAT]), is presented in Chapter 3. This phase was a complex process that required consideration of all four components of evidence-based practice: a practice context, relevant literature, clinical expertise, and the values and preferences of people with aphasia. The process started with conceptualising the scope of the test, which served as a base for the development of the subtests and test items. The outcome of Stage 3 was the prototype VAT, including the VAT overview, guidelines for administering and scoring, record forms and the stimulus book. The test was simultaneously developed in both Vietnamese and English for the purposes of content validation. In Stage 4, feedback data were collected from three groups of participants. The literature indicated that it is challenging to find test reviewers who have expertise in every aspect of a test and test developers can select subsets of reviewers for feedback on different components of a test. Therefore, three different groups were identified to provide feedback on different aspects of the prototype VAT. Chapter 4 presents the feedback from experts in aphasia. Five experts were provided with the English version of the prototype VAT and completed a questionnaire. Qualitative content analysis and measuring content validity ratio were used for data analysis. Analysis of the feedback from aphasia experts indicated that the prototype VAT generally met its stated purposes based on theoretical concepts. Chapter 5 presents the feedback from five Vietnamese SALTs who were trained in Viet Nam. A purpose-built survey was developed to collect ratings on the relevance and clarity of test items and photographs in the prototype VAT. The results indicated that only a few items and photographs were not relevant and/or clear. These were analysed using content validity index for relevance and content validity ratio for clarity. As the VAT was designed to be used throughout Viet Nam, gaining feedback from persons from three main dialectal regions in Viet Nam was considered necessary. Chapter 6 presents the study for collection of the feedback from 12 Vietnamese SALT master’s students from the three main dialectal regions in Viet Nam. Their feedback was analysed using content validity index for relevance and familiarity and content validity ratio for name agreement. Their feedback indicated positive results for the appropriateness of test items for use throughout Viet Nam. Chapter 7 presents the key findings from the thesis and data triangulation of the results from the three studies to assist with the final stages of test development, as well as key considerations for the final stages of test development (i.e., conducting a pretest, establishing psychometric data and normative data, and finalising the VAT for publication and dissemination for use in Viet Nam). Future research directions for further development of aphasia assessments are also presented. As a result of this research, the VAT will contribute to improving the quality of aphasia assessment and therapy for Vietnamese people with aphasia and conducting aphasia research in Viet Nam.
- Subject
- Aphasia test; Vietnamese Aphasia Test; Speech and language therapy (SALT); Viet Nam
- Identifier
- http://hdl.handle.net/1959.13/1423626
- Identifier
- uon:37956
- Rights
- Copyright 2021 Khanh Dien Le
- Language
- eng
- Full Text
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| Thumbnail | File | Description | Size | Format | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| View Details Download | ATTACHMENT01 | Thesis | 4 MB | Adobe Acrobat PDF | View Details Download | ||
| View Details Download | ATTACHMENT02 | Abstract | 396 KB | Adobe Acrobat PDF | View Details Download |