A Measure of Preference for Speaking Rather than Writing and its Relationship To Expressive Language Skills in Adolescents

Abstract

A description is given of the development of a 15 item inventory for measuring the degree of preference for speaking versus writing (SWPI) in a variety of situations appropriate to secondary school students. Preference for speaking was correlated positively with sociability and with the quality of oral expression but not with the quality of written expression. There was no relationship between preference for speaking or writing and the following variables: sex, social class, intelligence level or capacity in listening and reading comprehension. It was concluded that a preference for speaking may arise from enjoyment of the company of people, but where this enjoyment is limited, or where oral competence is poor, a person will prefer to communicate in Writing.