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Document Type

Thesis

Date of this Version

9-1956

Citation

Thesis (M.A.)—University of Nebraska—Lincoln, 1956. Department of Speech & Dramatic Art.

Comments

Copyright 1956, the author. Used by permission.

Abstract

The general purpose of this study is to compare the relative value of three methods of conducting a hearing survey used within this study.These three methods may be described as (1) teacher referral, (2) individual screening test of each child followed immediately by a diagnostic threshold evaluation, and (3) individual screening test with the diagnostic threshold evaluation following after the lapse of one month or more.In order to compare these methods, three surveys were used.Survey I, Survey II, and Survey III were done in Superior, Nebraska, Saunders County, Nebraska, and Burt County, Nebraska, respectively.Survey IV and Survey V were conducted in Colfax County, and Cuming County respectively.

From the findings of this study, it appears that:

  1. Although more efficient than the teachers of Curry’s study, the teachers of Survey I were not efficient enough in making referrals to justify a hearing survey being carried out by the teacher referral method alone.

  2. From the statements of the teachers and comparison with Curry’s findings, the teachers of this study were aided in their ability to recognize cases with hearing losses by the information sheets describing the characteristics of the hard of hearing child.

  3. The selection of the method for conducting a hearing survey is somewhat indicated by the demands of the situation, and the availability of personnel and equipment.

  4. In this study of 9631 pupils, 751 pupils, 7.80 per cent of the total population, were found to have impaired hearing. These statistics compare favorably with those reported in the related literature of this study.

  5. There was no difference in the ability of the teachers in Survey I to identify serious hearing losses or slight hearing losses.

  6. A greater incidence of slight hearing losses was reported through the use of the method of conducting the screening tests followed immediately by the diagnostic evaluations than by the method of following the screening tests with diagnostic evaluations after one month or more.

  7. If the population of this study is similar to the public and parochial school population of approximately 297,000 school children in kindergarten through grade twelve in the state of Nebraska, it could be expected that an estimated 23,166 pupils with hearing losses would be found in the schools of Nebraska.

  8. If the method of training an individual in screening testing is followed by an audiologist’s evaluation is employed in conducting a hearing survey of the school population in Nebraska, approximately 28,000 man hours would be involved in the administration of such a hearing survey.

    Advisor: John H. Wiley

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