CORRELATION OF ACHIEVEMENT OF DEAF ADOLESCENTS WITH THE ENGAGEMENT STYLE MEASURE.

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to determine if deaf adolescents who scored as Reactive on the Test of Engagement Style would score significantly lower on the Stanford Achievement subtests of Reading, Math Concepts, Math Computations, Math Applications, and Language than would deaf adolescents who scored as Active on the same test. The Test of Engagement Style is a locus of control construct which utilizes a non-verbal, open-ended format. Subject responses are recorded as either Active or Reactive. The subjects of this study were 111 deaf adolescents who attended the Arizona School for the Deaf and Blind in Tucson. Cross-tabulation of data between sexes was utilized as was hypothesis testing procedures utilizing one-way analysis of variance with males and females combined in Active and Reactive dimensions for the following variables: IQ, onset of hearing loss, degree of hearing loss (in decibels), age, and the five Stanford Achievement subtests. Split-half procedures were utilized to test for significant correlation in item analysis of the Test of Engagement Style. The TES showed significant internal consistency with an alpha of .74 at the .05 level of significance. The following results were found: (1) There was no significant difference between males and females on TES scores. (2) There was significant difference on mean scores in the subtests of Reading, Math Computations, Math Applications, and Language between Active and Reactive students. (3) There was no significant difference between Active and Reactive subjects on onset of deafness, degree of hearing loss, age, and the Math Concepts subtest. (4) There was significant difference in IQ scores between Active and Reactive subjects. This study suggests that the Test of Engagement Style is useful for making comparisons between Stanford Achievement Test scores and locus of control perceptions.