A comparison of the simultaneous communication evaluation with the sign communication proficiency interview

• Main Author: Kemp, William M.
• Other Authors: Educational Administration
• Format: Others
• Language: en_US
• Published: Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University 2017
• Subjects: LD5655.V856 1986.K456; Deaf > Education; Deaf > Means of communication; Evaluation; Interviewing
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/10919/77904

There is a need to identify a specific test to assess one's Simultaneous Communication skills (a combination of Sign Language with the use of spoken English). The Simultaneous Communication Evaluation and the Sign Communication Proficiency Interview were examined to compare and to determine the reliability and validity for the latter. The Illinois Course Evaluation Questionnaire was used as an independent variable. Multitrait-multimethod methodology (Campbell and Fiske, 1959) was used to examine construct validity of the two methods of assessing the twenty-eight subjects' communication skills, as well as to show their reliability. The Illinois Course Evaluation Questionnaire was used as an observation tool to obtain dichotomized scores used to measure subjects' performance in the classroom as compared with the two methods of assessing the subjects' signing skills. Based on the findings of this research, the following conclusions seem justified. A. The Receptive portion of the Simultaneous Communication Evaluation generally showed a weak relationship to the other tests with the exception of the Sign Communication Proficiency Interview's retest, with which it showed only a moderate relationship. This indicates that the Receptive portion may not be a valid way of assessing Sign Language competency. B. Since the Sign Communication Proficiency Interview's test-retest and the inter-rater reliability indicators are moderately high, with their levels of significance being lower than .05, this method of testing may be regarded as an at least moderately reliable means of assessing the faculty members' skills in the use of Simultaneous Communication. C. The correlations for the Simultaneous Communication Evaluation and the Sign Communication Proficiency Interview's test and retest are .8058 and .5477 respectively. The Illinois Course Evaluation Questionnaire, in general, showed negative correlations with the first two tests with the probability of error being higher than the acceptable .05. One may conclude from this that there is no relationship between the ability to teach and the ability to use Simultaneous Communication. It is anticipated that the outcome of this study will have an impact on various programs and agencies that provide educational and/or social services to the hearing impaired in the United States. At present there is no established, standardized method of evaluating professionals Sign Language skills and this study may well set a precedent in this area. === Ed. D.