Résumé:
This study investigates the effectiveness of the Arabic English Non-Word Repetition
Task (AEN_NWRT) in diagnosing stuttering among Algerian children in Tebessa due
to the prevalence of stuttering and to the deficiency in traditional diagnostic
procedures. Prior research highlighted the utility of the AEN_NWRT among Arab
speakers in the Gulf region, but its applicability to other Arabic dialects remained
unverified. Thus, this research seeks to confirm the efficacy of the task in a different
demographic setting, the Algerian one. To reach this aim, a confirmatory research
design with a mixed-method of data analysis were employed. Following a non-
probability sampling technique and based on a set of demographic criteria, data were
collected from 28 fourth-graders at Bahloul Rachid Primary School, including both
stuttering and non-stuttering children. Participants were audio recorded while
producing a non-word list which forms the basis of the AEN_NWRT individually in a
controlled setting. Additionally, observations about the stuttering symptoms they
displayed were noted by the researchers. The recordings were manually analyzed and
the score of the task of every participant was computed. The scores were later
correlated with the amount of stuttering symptoms observed using SPSS. The
statistically significant negative very strong correlation between the two variables
demonstrates that the AEN_NWRT is an effective diagnostic tool for stuttering
beyond the Gulf region; its broader applicability and diagnostic validity is confirmed.
In the background of this study, future research could rely on an experimental design
and develop a specialized diagnostic NWRT tailored specifically for the dialect of
Tebessa.
