ERIC Number: EJ1343880
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2022-Apr
Pages: 13
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0161-1461
EISSN: EISSN-1558-9129
The Effects of Virtual Assessment on Capturing Skill Growth in Children with Hearing Loss
Language, Speech, and Hearing Services in Schools, v53 n2 p391-403 Apr 2022
Purpose: The purpose of this study is to evaluate the effects of switching from in-person assessment to virtual assessment during the COVID-19 pandemic on the growth trajectories of children with hearing loss who are learning spoken language. Method: Sixty-eight children with typical hearing, 44 children with cochlear implants, and 47 children with hearing aids were assessed with a normreferenced measure of receptive vocabulary, a criterion-referenced measure of phonological awareness, and a criterion-referenced measure of conceptual print knowledge at least 4 times, at 6-month intervals, between the ages of 4 and 6 years. Of those participants, 26 children with typical hearing, 13 children with cochlear implants, and 13 children with hearing aids entered virtual testing as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. The slopes of growth for children who entered virtual testing were compared to their own slopes prepandemic and to the growth slopes of children who completed all testing in-person, prepandemic. Results: Within-subject comparisons across all measures did not show a change in growth slopes prepandemic to postpandemic. For the measure of conceptual print knowledge, children who were tested during the pandemic showed slower overall growth than children who were tested prepandemic. No effects of hearing status were found across growth on any measure. Conclusion: These preliminary data support the use of virtual assessment to measure growth in receptive vocabulary, phonological awareness, and conceptual print knowledge in children with hearing loss learning spoken language.
Descriptors: Children, Hearing Impairments, Assistive Technology, Deafness, Language Acquisition, Evaluation, Language Skills, Videoconferencing, Phonological Awareness, Vocabulary Development, COVID-19, Pandemics, Oral Language, Time Perspective, Speech Skills, Intelligence Tests, Vocabulary, Verbal Ability, Literacy, Screening Tests
American Speech-Language-Hearing Association. 2200 Research Blvd #250, Rockville, MD 20850. Tel: 301-296-5700; Fax: 301-296-8580; e-mail: lshss@asha.org; Web site: http://lshss.pubs.asha.org
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD) (DHHS/NIH)
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Assessments and Surveys: Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test; Phonological Awareness Literacy Screening
Grant or Contract Numbers: R01DC017173