Development and Initial Validation of an Expressive Vocabulary Test for Movement Concepts and Skills in Adults with Down syndrome

Georgios Sivvas; Kyriaki Emmanouilidou; Athina Pitsi; Grigorios Masadis; Nerantzoula Koufou; Konstantinos Filippou; Panagiotis Varsamis; Vasiliki Derri; Filippos Filippou

doi:10.17275/per.26.73.13.5

Development and Initial Validation of an Expressive Vocabulary Test for Movement Concepts and Skills in Adults with Down syndrome

Abstract

The present study aimed to develop and psychometrically evaluate the Expressive Vocabulary Test - Movement Concepts Skills - Down syndrome (EVT-MCS-DS) and to examine possible differences in expressive vocabulary performance according to demographic characteristics, including sex, living arrangement, and age group. The sample comprised 48 men and 18 women with Down syndrome (M age = 26.56 ± 2.80 years).The instrument was developed through a multi-phase procedure including the selection of 50 movement concepts and skills, their transformation into pictorial stimuli by an expert committee, item analysis (difficulty, discrimination, and point-biserial correlation indices), content validity evaluation, and reliability assessment (Cronbach’s α, Kuder–Richardson 20, split-half reliability, and test–retest stability). Item analysis resulted in the exclusion of 18 items due to unacceptable psychometric indices, yielding a final 32-item test. Internal consistency was high (Cronbach’s α = .952, KR-20 = .80, Spearman–Brown = .94), while test–retest reliability demonstrated excellent stability (ICC Single Measures = .967; ICC Average Measures = .983). Content validity was also supported (I-CVI = .80–1.00; S-CVI/Ave = .92). The EVT–MCS-DS demonstrates satisfactory initial evidence of validity and reliability and may serve as a useful tool for assessing expressive naming of movement concepts and motor skills in adults with Down syndrome.

Keywords

expressive vocabulary, movement concepts, movement skils, item analysis, content validity

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Details

Primary Language

English

Subjects

Basic Training (Other)

Journal Section

Research Article

Authors

Georgios Sivvas
0009-0005-8678-4065
Greece

Kyriaki Emmanouilidou
0000-0003-3446-1799
Greece

Athina Pitsi
0000-0002-6693-7678
Greece

Grigorios Masadis
0000-0002-2964-7241
Greece

Nerantzoula Koufou
0000-0001-7790-5981
Greece

Konstantinos Filippou
0009-0002-6325-8781
Canada

Panagiotis Varsamis
0000-0001-9657-2684
Greece

Vasiliki Derri
0000-0001-9487-9586
Greece

Filippos Filippou ^*
0000-0003-3116-7930
Greece

Publication Date

August 30, 2026

Submission Date

February 27, 2026

Acceptance Date

June 17, 2026

Published in Issue

Year 2026 Volume: 13 Number: 5

DOI

https://doi.org/10.17275/per.26.73.13.5

IZ

https://izlik.org/JA77FL39MD

APA

Sivvas, G., Emmanouilidou, K., Pitsi, A., Masadis, G., Koufou, N., Filippou, K., Varsamis, P., Derri, V., & Filippou, F. (2026). Development and Initial Validation of an Expressive Vocabulary Test for Movement Concepts and Skills in Adults with Down syndrome. Participatory Educational Research, 13(5), 226-244. https://doi.org/10.17275/per.26.73.13.5

AMA

1.Sivvas G, Emmanouilidou K, Pitsi A, et al. Development and Initial Validation of an Expressive Vocabulary Test for Movement Concepts and Skills in Adults with Down syndrome. PER. 2026;13(5):226-244. doi:10.17275/per.26.73.13.5

Chicago

Sivvas, Georgios, Kyriaki Emmanouilidou, Athina Pitsi, et al. 2026. “Development and Initial Validation of an Expressive Vocabulary Test for Movement Concepts and Skills in Adults With Down Syndrome”. Participatory Educational Research 13 (5): 226-44. https://doi.org/10.17275/per.26.73.13.5.

EndNote

Sivvas G, Emmanouilidou K, Pitsi A, Masadis G, Koufou N, Filippou K, Varsamis P, Derri V, Filippou F (August 1, 2026) Development and Initial Validation of an Expressive Vocabulary Test for Movement Concepts and Skills in Adults with Down syndrome. Participatory Educational Research 13 5 226–244.

IEEE

[1]G. Sivvas et al., “Development and Initial Validation of an Expressive Vocabulary Test for Movement Concepts and Skills in Adults with Down syndrome”, PER, vol. 13, no. 5, pp. 226–244, Aug. 2026, doi: 10.17275/per.26.73.13.5.

ISNAD

Sivvas, Georgios - Emmanouilidou, Kyriaki - Pitsi, Athina - Masadis, Grigorios - Koufou, Nerantzoula - Filippou, Konstantinos - Varsamis, Panagiotis - Derri, Vasiliki - Filippou, Filippos. “Development and Initial Validation of an Expressive Vocabulary Test for Movement Concepts and Skills in Adults With Down Syndrome”. Participatory Educational Research 13/5 (August 1, 2026): 226-244. https://doi.org/10.17275/per.26.73.13.5.

JAMA

1.Sivvas G, Emmanouilidou K, Pitsi A, Masadis G, Koufou N, Filippou K, Varsamis P, Derri V, Filippou F. Development and Initial Validation of an Expressive Vocabulary Test for Movement Concepts and Skills in Adults with Down syndrome. PER. 2026;13:226–244.

MLA

Sivvas, Georgios, et al. “Development and Initial Validation of an Expressive Vocabulary Test for Movement Concepts and Skills in Adults With Down Syndrome”. Participatory Educational Research, vol. 13, no. 5, Aug. 2026, pp. 226-44, doi:10.17275/per.26.73.13.5.

Vancouver

1.Georgios Sivvas, Kyriaki Emmanouilidou, Athina Pitsi, Grigorios Masadis, Nerantzoula Koufou, Konstantinos Filippou, Panagiotis Varsamis, Vasiliki Derri, Filippos Filippou. Development and Initial Validation of an Expressive Vocabulary Test for Movement Concepts and Skills in Adults with Down syndrome. PER. 2026 Aug. 1;13(5):226-44. doi:10.17275/per.26.73.13.5

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Development and Initial Validation of an Expressive Vocabulary Test for Movement Concepts and Skills in Adults with Down syndrome

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