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technology for children with mild hearing loss, research over the
past twenty years has shown that the benefits of sound-field amplification include
improved academic achievement, speech recognition, attending skills, and
learning behaviors.
Recent studies have shown that sound-field amplification technology enhances
classroom learning. Students in amplified classrooms demonstrated
improvement in listening and learning behaviors and progressed at a faster rate
than tier grade-alike peers in unamplified rooms. Other findings include reduction
in special education referrals, greater literacy gains, improved reading test scores
and greater development of phonemic awareness skills. Benefits were also
shown for teachers including reduced vocal strain and fatigue, increased ease of
teaching, increased versatility of instructional techniques and increased teacher
mobility.
Of the few studies done on cross-cultural classrooms, it was found that non-
native English children with normal hearing sensitivity was significantly improved
at speaker-listener distances of 12 and 24 feet and significant improvements
were shown in speech intelligibility.
The benefit of the dual-channel transmission system is that two teachers can use
the system at the same time, or the second microphone can be handed around
among the children during interactive class sessions. Microphone techniques
need to be demonstrated to teachers so they can learn strategies to utilize both
single and dual channel transmission options more effectively. The passaround
microphone for students can "enhance teacher effectiveness". Teachers may
need to use different teaching strategies to best take advantage of sound-field
amplification technology.
Study
The purpose of this study is to examine how sound-field amplification effects
reading, writing and numeracy on children in mainstream cross-cultural
classroom. The majority of the participants were ESL students. A major
component of the study was to identify the patterns of use and range of
additional benefits.
Continued...
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