Phase Three data analysis of findings

The third phase of the research undertaking centred on quantitative design and involved administering the same tests that were used prior to the launch of the intervention. Data analysis and interpretation culminated with the results obtained from the criterion-referenced and norm- referenced assessments or post-tests which were administered to the research participant after she interacted with the THRASS intervention programme over a period of time. These summative

167

assessments are essential for evaluating the efficacy of the intervention programme. The same protocol was put into place as during the initial testing affected in Phase One to ensure validity and trustworthiness. The same tests were conducted after a full year in order to increase the validity of the results. (See section 5.2.1.1-5.2.1.7 for a discussion on the tests).

5.2.3.1 The THRASS 120 Reading Test

Sally scored 120/120 which translated to 100%, which means that she is able to read all of the 120 keywords representing the 24 consonant phonemes and 20 vowel phonemes on the THRASS Picturechart. The following articulation errors were noted. However, these errors did not affect overall scoring as they form part of a consistent pattern of speech sound production errors noted from the beginning of the intervention:

 nasals for liquids (n/l) - namb for lamb

 consonant plosives for consonant fricatives (d/th) - dumb for thumb

 consonant plosives (k/g) – tiker for tiger

5.2.3.2 The THRASS 120 Spelling Test

Sally achieved a raw score of 120/120 which converted to 100%. She was thus able to spell all of the 120 keywords representing the 24 consonant phonemes and 20 vowel phonemes on the THRASS Picturechart.

5.2.3.3 The THRASS 500 Reading Test

A raw score of 495/500 was obtained which was reduced to a scaled score of 99%. Sally made the following reading errors. However, Sally made exactly the same errors in the pre-test and this could well indicate that some of these were errors could possibly be speech sound production errors as opposed to reading errors because there are certain sounds that cannot be discriminated successfully.

 misreads – off for of (f/v consonant fricatives); tower for tour (diphthongs)

 substitutions - mom for mum (short vowel monophthongs); Semtember for September (nasals/plosives)

168

5.2.3.4 The THRASS 500 Spelling Test

Sally obtained a raw score of 499/500 which translated to 99,8%. Only one spelling error was made:

 Insertions: suddlenly for suddenly

5.2.3.5 The Schonell Graded Reading Test (1971)

The raw score achieved by Sally was 61 words and this was reduced to a scaled score of 10 years and 4 months which was approximately 3 years and 9 months below her chronological age at the time. The following types of reading errors were recorded:

 misreads - sherbet for shepherd (as this also reflected in the pre-test it could well be an error of articulation); i-lid for island (also evident in pre-test); gillome for gnome; attritive for attractive; noserit for nourished; audurinse for audience; ostricta for orchestra; campiyun for campaign; plausible [aʊ] for plausible; insituation for insertion; antiqueue for antique; krotesqueue for grotesque (k/g consonant plosives); itoesyncracy for idiosyncracy (t/d consonant plosives); bibirophy for bibliography

 insertions - thirsting for thirsty; crowned for crowd (also evident in pre-test); grandually for gradually; physicus for physics; solotist for solois; herotic for heroic; pinewnomia for pneumonia; preferentical for preferential; ficticatious for ficticious

 omissions - terrestril for terrestrial (diphthongs)

 substitutions - colony for colonel

 transpositions - genius for genuine; engima for enigma; obvilion for oblivion

 syllabification – errors in analysis and synthesis of phonemes. Sally tends to try and chunk words visually rather than looking at individual phonemes.

Speech sound production errors included the following:

 crowned for crowd (diphthongs); sherbet for shepherd (consonant plosives); and i-lid for island (liquids) could possibly be articulation errors rather than misreads because these same errors occurred in the pre-test.

 liquids and nasals - muk for milk; sloveny for slovenly; the word ‘preliminary’ was difficult for Sally to express; belligeret for belligerent

 consonant plosives (k/g, p/b, t/d ) - krotesqueue for grotesque; somnampulist for somnambulist; atamant for adamant; ineraticaple for ineradicable; rescint for rescind

169

5.2.3.6 The Burt Graded Reading Test A (Revised Norms 1974)

A raw score of 68 was obtained which was reduced to a scaled score of 10 years and 0 months. This reflected a reading age deficit of 4 years 1 month based on Sally’s chronological age at the time of testing. Analysis of reading errors which may fall into more than one category revealed the following:

 misreads - beware as bewar; commint for commenced; contempiterous for contemptuous; effiscience for efficiency; uniqueue for unique; fatigoo for fatigue; influtill for influential; champion for champagne; fallection for falatious; alerate for alienate (diphthongs)

 omissions - twist for twisted (bound morphemes); emergy for emergency (bound morphemes); effits for events (fricatives f/v); scarely for scarcely; truding for trudging (affricatives); autobigraphy for autobiography; physican for physician (diphthongs); palable for palpable; ingratating for ingratiating (diphthongs)

 substitutions - fridge for fringe (may also indicate an articulation error as the same error reflected in the pre-test)

 transpositions - exhautisd for exhausted; consituationally for constitutionally

Errors of speech sound production were reflected in the following words:

 liquids and nasals - jourley for journey (also pronounced the affricative j [dʒ] as ch [tʃ]); lourishment for nourishment; apprehed for apprehend; motionness for motionless; ecolomy for economy

 affricatives (j [dʒ] as ch [tʃ]) - prochecting for projecting

 consonant plosives (p/b) - pinocular for binocular

5.2.3.7 The Schonell Spelling Test B

Sally realised a raw score of 67 correct words which was converted to a scaled score of 11 years 8 months. This reflected a spelling discrepancy of 2 years 5 months based on Sally’s chronological age. Spelling errors which may overlap into different error categories included the following:

 insertions (bound morphemes) - slippering for slippery; generously for generous; immedicate for immediate; materically for materially; subterratly for subterranean; misteratly for miscellaneous

 substitutions - parken for bargain (consonant plosives b/p); simalar for similar; mearing for merely (bound morphemes); custermery for customary; apparaties for apparatus; immature for amateur

170

 transpositions - poilcy for policy; appericate for appreciate; frinartely for fraternally

 omissions - libary for library (liquids); suffient for sufficient; especally for especially (diphthongs); equipmet for equipment (nasals)

 affricatives (j [dʒ] as ch [tʃ]) – launch for lodge

 other general errors - intersion for institution; orcester for orchestra; intervetsally for individual; inthratic for enthusiastic; fermair for familiar; permenate for permanent; semarey for cemetery; acreaditor for accredited; portmantoe for portmanteau; polatersion for politician; mortaue for mortgage; exterate for exaggerate; arpentitiy for committee

 syllabification - numerous errors noted. Sally tries to chunk words by sub-vocalising and trying to re-auditorise

5.2.3.8 A reflection of Phase Three post-tests

The abovementioned criterion-referenced and norm-referenced tests were conducted with the research participant, Sally, after the THRASS intervention process was concluded. These post- tests, which were the same tests that were administered in Phase One, revealed the levels at which Sally had developed specific skills related to language and literacy after a year of interacting with the THRASS phonographic programme. The norm-referenced tests ranked Sally in terms of reading and spelling achievement in comparison to the highest and lowest levels of achievement of a broader hearing population and these raw scores were converted to scaled scores.

The results of the post-tests indicated the following:

 A consistent pattern of speech sound production errors was still evident

 Sally displayed an increase in the ability to use the rules of syllabification to ‘chunk’ unfamiliar words into syllables. However, she still reverted back to using vision in place of phonological knowledge at times when analysing and synthesising words

 Errors in respect of morphemes were still evident in reading and spelling

 Sally displayed the improved ability to segment and blend increasingly difficult, unfamiliar words during the reading process

 All criterion-referenced test results yielded improved results

 The norm-referenced Schonell reading test indicated a reading gain of I year 8 months

 The norm-referenced Burt reading test revealed a reading gain of 2 years 4 months

 The norm-referenced Schonell spelling test showed a spelling gain of 9 months, although the spelling deficit increased by 3 months

171

The quantitative results of the above post-tests administered in Phase Three of the research undertaking yielded a summative assessment after the conclusion of the THRASS literacy intervention programme. The quantitative data in this study has served to gauge, quantify and evaluate intervention outcomes in terms of changes in numerical test scores. The aforementioned criterion-referenced and norm-referenced tests were analysed to measure the level of success achieved by the research participant after the culmination of the intervention programme and to analyse the patterns of errors in the areas of speech sound production (articulation and phonology), reading and spelling. This is in keeping with the research problem statement which evaluates the extent to which the Teaching Handwriting, Reading and Spelling Skills (THRASS) programme – which incorporates the uses of a Phoneme Machine with a Cued Speech option – may enhance the literacy levels of an Intermediate Phase learner who is deaf and who uses the spoken language approach.

The data gathered from the field during Phase One (pre-test phase), Phase Two (intervention phase) and Phase Three (post-test phase) constitute the parts of the research undertaking. In order to add unique insights into the educational processes that have taken place whilst researching the phenomenon or the case necessitates the coalescing of these phases to construct a larger mosaic. This larger mosaic is the big picture that is required in order to answer the following question: ‘’What has been going on here?” This question leads to the interpretation and discussion of findings.