IDIOM UNDERSTANDING IN AUSTRALIAN YOUTH - A CROSS-CULTURAL-COMPARISON

In this developmental study, idiom understanding was examined in Austr alian students from Grades 5 and 8 (n = 50 per group; mean ages = 10:7 and 13:8, respectively). Twenty-four idioms with familiarity ratings ranging from high to low (as judged by Australian adolescents) were ea ch presented in a brief story context. The students read each story an d selected the best interpretation of the idiom from a set of four ans wer choices. Results indicated that performance on the task improved a s a function of increasing grade level and that idiom familiarity was significantly correlated to idiom understanding for both groups of stu dents. These results, which were consistent with a previous study of A merican students of comparable educational levels (Nippold & Taylor, 1 995), provide further support for the ''language experience'' hypothes is of figurative language development. In replicating the previous dev elopmental study, evidence of external validity is provided.