The purpose of this study was to examine comprehension by deaf students of stories presented in Signed English (SE) and American Sign Language (ASL), under three modal conditions manual-only, manual plus oral, and manual plus oral plus aural. It was predicted that: (1) an increase in comprehension would correspond to an increase in the number of modes used in presenting the stories; (2) ASL would be a more efficient method of communication than SE; (3) there would be an interaction effect between language and mode of presentation; and (4) in unbalanced bilinguals a translation to the dominant language would occur when a story was presented in the subordinate language. Thirty-six deaf subjects from the British Columbia provincial School for the Deaf participated in the study; their mean age was 16 years 7 months, and their average hearing threshold level in the better ear was 99.8 decibels with a range of 83 decibels to 113 decibels. All subjects had a minimum of five years. experience as students in total communication programs using SE. Three ghost stories (mean readability level = Grade 2.7) were videotaped under all modal conditions for each of the languages. In the experimental task, subjects were shown a different story under each of the three modal conditions; but each subject was given stories in only one language. After each viewing the subject's retelling was videotaped. Data analyses showed that: there was no significant treatment effect for mode of presentation; subjects reproduced stories presented in ASL better than SE stories; there was an interaction between language and modes, where adding speechreading to the manual-only modality led to higher comprehension scores in the SE presentations; and a majority of subjects retold ASL and SE stories in ASL. The results support ASL as being the more effective method of communication for signing deaf students who have extensive training in total communication and Signed English. It is suggested that total communication classes adopt an ASL-English bilingual program to enhance classroom communication and assist in the development of oral and aural skills, and that speech always accompany the use of SE. Suggestions were made for future research activities. / Education, Faculty of / Educational and Counselling Psychology, and Special Education (ECPS), Department of / Graduate

The purpose of this study was to gather information about the demographic variables and responsibilities of British Columbian itinerant teachers of the deaf and hard of hearing, investigate if these teachers experience occupational stress, determine the relationships between these variables and their stress levels, and to determine which manifestations of stress were most prevalent for this population. Two questionnaires were used in this study: the Teacher Stress Inventory (TSI), which was a standardized measure of stress, and the Itinerant Teacher Questionnaire (ITQ), which was a self-created questionnaire to gather information about demographics and itinerant responsibilities. The survey packages were mailed during the months of May and June 1998, to 92 itinerant teachers of the deaf and hard of hearing in BC, Canada. The response rate was 76% (n=70). The demographic information and responsibilities of the typical BC itinerant teacher of the deaf and hard of hearing were presented and discussed. This was the first project of its kind in BC to examine these variables, and it has created a database of information for further research and comparisons. Using the TSI and its norms, it was determined that BC itinerant teachers of the deaf and hard of hearing experience lower levels of stress than American teachers. However, caution should be exercised when comparing BC itinerant teachers to the norms, because the norms were collected from the northeast, mid-Atlantic, and southeastern states of the US. From the questionnaires and a multiple regression analysis, the predominant sources of stress for these teachers were determined to be: work overload, lack of time, high numbers of personnel worked with, poor ability to have rooms assigned in a school, poor quality of rooms worked in, weather interference during travel, and poor communication with school personnel. Using the TSI, emotional (anxious, depressed, etc.) and fatigue (physical exhaustion, weakness, etc.) manifestations of stress were the highest rated symptoms of stress experienced by BC itinerant teachers of the deaf and hard of hearing. Results, implications, concerns, and suggestions for further study are discussed. / Education, Faculty of / Educational and Counselling Psychology, and Special Education (ECPS), Department of / Graduate

The purpose of this study was to determine whether working in the field of deaf education, as opposed to general education, results in a higher level of technology integration. A secondary goal was to determine if deaf educators who are deaf integrate technology at a higher level than their hearing counterparts. The instrument chosen for this study was the LoTi Technology Use Profile, a tool used to explore the role of technology in the classroom. A total of 92 participates were included in the study of which 48 were regular educators and 44 were deaf educators. The participants were selected from a population pool whereby teachers were presumably pre-disposed to using technology based upon their attendance at a technology training session in the form of a conference or a class. Deaf educators as a whole did not perform as well as general educators on the LoTi scales. Given the fact that the technology-minded general educators who comprised the sample population of this study scored exceptionally high on the LoTi scales, further research is needed to ensure comparability between the two groups. The findings of the current study do suggest, though, that deaf educators who are deaf have the potential to integrate technology to a greater degree than deaf educators who are hearing. Thus, a primary recommendation is to conduct a national LoTi survey of typical, rather than technology-minded, deaf educators as a comparison to the 2004 national survey of typical general educators.

This thesis sets out the rationale and design for a speech programme for Deaf learners to be implemented by teachers in the classroom. Theoretical and empirical research are provided to support its design. Speech teaching is set against a backdrop of current issues so that the programme is seen to take cognisance of these. To this end the disappointment and conflict which surround speech teaching and newer educational and audiological trends are described. Following this, the deviant speech of the Deaf is described. Prevocal aspects of speech production, namely aberrant repiratory functioning and deviant vocal set are described. The latter is a term coined for this research to denote psychological, functional, physical and neural changes that deleteriously affect the speech of the Deaf. Suprasegmental and segmental problems are next delineated. An argument that supports the view that vowels are less accessible to correction than consonants is proposed to explain the empahasis accorded to consonants. Hereafter, theories of speech teaching are set out to clarify their incorporation into the proposed programme. Critiques of Haycock, the Ewings, Ling and van Uden are provided. The role of computers and biofeedback is evaluated. The Whole Language Approach to mainstream education, the phonological method of speech correction, and creative techniques, speech arid drama, and singing, are described in relation to speech instruction for Deaf learners. Empirical research that investigates attitudes and needs of educators of Deaf children, with the emphasis on the class teacher, is delineated. Finally, the proposed programme is presented emphasising its potential to interrupt the current self perpetuating negative cycle. Theoretical principles are a defocus on lipreading cues to provide information on speech production, restriction of digital contact with the larynx or throat, repeated cycles of intervention at phonetic and phonological levels, and the employment of five multisensory avenues to enhance speech perception. The latter are orosensory, graphic, kinaesthetic, hand analogies and use of inanimate objects. Skills targeted for development are control of vocal organs, suprasegmental, segmental and phonological development. The fit of the proposed programme to the education paradigm in terms of learner, teacher and school system is described. The thesis concludes with an evaluation of the programme and recommendations for future research. / Thesis (DPhil (Communication Pathology))--University of Pretoria, 2007. / Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology / unrestricted

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The purpose of this study is to investigate the relationship between the facilitation with language and imagery as a function of deafness and age. It is argued that imagery and language are two independent, although interacting aspects of thought (Bovier 1970, Paivio I969, Furth I966, Piaget I962) , and that imagery is a potent factor in learning and memory (Bower 1970, Paivio I969). Subject populations may differ in absolute terms, i.e. one population may be more or less proficient with language or imagery or both when compared with another population. And populations may differ in their relative facilitation with one code as compared, to another code. It is hypothesized that the variables of deafness and age do affect the absolute as well as the relative proficiencies with imagery and language.

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