A Development of Spoken Language Test for Hearing-impaired Children

1995 Fiscal Year Final Research Report Summary

• Project/Area Number: 06451048
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for General Scientific Research (B)
• Allocation Type: Single-year Grants
• Research Field: Educaion
• Research Institution: Joetsu University of Education
• Principal Investigator: AGATSUMA Toshihiro JOETSU UNV.OF EDUCATION,DEPARTMENT OF SPECIAL EDUCATION,ASSISTANT PROFESSOR, 学校教育学部, 助教授 (00124206)
• Project Period (FY): 1994 – 1995
• Keywords: Hearing-impaired children / School for the deaf / Special class for hearing-impaired children / Assessment of language / GAEL-TEST / Spoken language / Grammar

Research Abstract

The aim of this long-term study is to develop a test named "GAEL-TEST" which will be used to evaluate the ability of spoken language for the hearing-impariredchildren. Children of school for the deaf were tested and analyzed in 1994. Hearing-impaired children in special classes in regular schools and hearing children aged 6 to 9 were tested by using the GAEL-TEST in 1995.
The results were as follows ;
**The hearing-impaired children showed the average score higher than the children in schools for the deaf but lower than the hearing-children. Some children with very severe hearing loss showed high scores. It was considered that the experience of oral communication with hearing-peers might have influenced the ability of spoken language. Scores of the hearing-impaired children were same as of the one or two years younger hearing-children.
**From the view point of grammar, the hearing-impaired children made many mistakes in using some kinds of verb inflections when they tried to make a long sentence or complex sentence.
**There was not a clear relationship between the GAEL-TEST scores and the degree of hearing loss, speech perception, and speech intelligibility. On the other hand, there was a strong correlation between the GAEL-TEST scores and reading ability, vocabulaty, and the ability of composition.