Reliability and Validity of Latvian Sign Language Comprehension Test (LSLCT) for Deaf and Hearing Impaired Children

Abstract

The aim of this study was to determine the reliability and validity of the Latvian Sign Language Comprehension Test (LSLCT). Thirty-four deaf and hearing impaired (DHI) children (boys: 50%: girls: 50%) aged 8 to 12 years participated in the study. The children were attending specialist schools for DHI children and did not have any officially diagnosed developmental disorders. Item difficulty indices and item discrimination indices were established and the internal consistency and inter-rater reliability of the scale were assessed. The one-factor structure of the scale was verified. Teachers’ ratings of children’s sign language perception skills were used to determine the concurrent validity of the LSLCT. Construct validity was assessed on the basis of the correlations between LSLCT score and children’s age, grade, gender, parental hearing status, age at exposure to sign language and signing age. LSLCT was shown to have high reliability and construct validity.

DOI: 10.5901/jesr.2016.v6n2p237