Comparison of a non-spoken response mode and a spoken response mode in a test of phonological awareness

Abstract

Assessing students with moderate to severe disabilities, and especially those with little or no functional speech (LNFS), often necessitates accommodation of assessment material. These accommodations need to be equivalent to the original testing procedure. The aim of this study was to compare two different modes of response, one spoken and one using eye-gaze, to determine the influence of response mode on test results. A cross-over within-subject counterbalance design using multiple subjects was used1. Forty-eight typically developing Grade 1 children participated in the study. Participants were individually required to respond to 90 phonological awareness questions using either a spoken “Yes/No” response or a non-spoken “Yes/No” response by using eye-gaze. The response modes were controlled for order effect and analysed using ANOVA. No statistically significant difference was found between the two response modes.