Teacher Education, Educational Leadership & Policy ETDs

Publication Date

5-15-1969

Abstract

Purpose of the study: The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of hearing deficiencies on reading achievement. The study also investigated and analyzed the significance of giving special consideration to the teaching methods when teaching those children who have hearing impairments. A further consideration of the study was to investigate teacher perception of children with hearing defects through a comparison of teacher listings of suspected cases and audiometer sweep test identification.

Procedure: In September, 1968, teachers were asked to list children suspected as being hard-of-hearing. Fifty-seven hard-of-hearing children and 372 normal hearing children from a total of 1154 tested took part in the experiment. Subjects were drawn from the third, fourth, and fifth grades in three elementary schools. Hard-of-hearing subjects were identified with a pure tone audiometer. All subjects were given the California Reading Achievement Test, Elementary, Form X, in September, 1968. Control and experimental groups were designated for the second phase of the study. Twenty-three hard-of-hearing children made up the control group while thirty-four were in the experimental group. The experimental group was taught by a method recommended for teaching the hard-of-hearing children. In April, 1969, a post-test was administered to both groups.

Findings: The analysis of variance was used to test the first hypothesis: there is no significant difference in reading achievement between hard-of-hearing children and children who have no hearing loss. The difference was significant at the .01 level; therefore, the hypothesis was rejected. The analysis of covariance was used to test the second hypothesis, there is no significant difference between hard-of­hearing children exposed to recommended “general" methods of teaching to the hard-of-hearing and children who have a hearing impairment but are not identified. The difference was significant at the .01 level; therefore, the hypothesis was rejected. Three of the fifty-seven hard-of-hearing children were identified on a teacher perception listing device.

Conclusions: Hard-of-hearing children are handicapped as evidenced by their statistically significant lower scores on a reading achievement test. Hard-of-hearing children exposed to recommended "general" teaching methods for the hard-of-hearing are aided as evidenced by their statistically significant higher scores on a reading achievement test.

Document Type

Thesis

Language

English

Degree Name

Elementary Education

Level of Degree

Masters

Department Name

Teacher Education, Educational Leadership & Policy

First Committee Member (Chair)

Miles Vernon Zintz

Second Committee Member

Laura Helen Walters

Third Committee Member

LeRoy Condie

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