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Published on: January 23, 2017
First-language raters' opinions when validating word recordings for a newly developed speech reception threshold test
Seema Panday1, Harsha Kathard, Mershen Pillay
1Discipline of Audiology, School of Health Sciences, University of KwaZulu-Natal. pandayse@ukzn.ac.za.
Summary
Adding first-language speaker ratings enhances the validation of word recordings for speech reception threshold (SRT) tests. This method identified issues missed by traditional criteria, improving audiology test development.
Area of Science:
- Audiology
- Speech-Language Pathology
Background:
- Previous studies identified 28 word recordings for a new speech reception threshold (SRT) test based on linguistic and psychometric criteria.
- These criteria included familiarity, phonetic dissimilarity, tone, and homogeneity of audibility.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the benefit of incorporating first-language speaker ratings into the word recording validation process for a new SRT test.
Main Methods:
- A cross-sectional study involving 11 purposively selected first-language isiZulu speakers.
- Participants rated word recordings on pitch, clarity, naturalness, speech rate, and quality using a 5-point Likert scale.
- Data analyzed using percent agreement and Friedman test.
Main Results:
- Over 20% of participants rated three word recordings poorly for pitch/tone.
- One word recording received low ratings for pitch/tone, clarity/articulation, and naturalness/dialect.
Conclusions:
- First-language speaker ratings are a valuable addition to SRT test word selection.
- This approach identified problematic recordings missed by conventional linguistic and psychometric criteria.
