A Comparison of Social Behaviors among Nonhandicapped and Hearing Impaired Children

Abstract

Matched on age (8 to 14 years) and sex (equal members) were 30 hearing impaired children with 30 nonhandicapped children. They were then assessed by their teachers on the Matson Evaluation of Social Skills with Youngsters, a 57-item Likert scale with a factor on appropriate social behaviors (Factor 1) and inappropriate assertion (Factor 2). A separate MANOVA for total score and factor scores was conducted for age and for condition (handicapped or nonhandicapped). Only the MANOVA for condition was significant, and statistical differences based on post hoc univariate F tests were only present on Factor 2. Also, the most prevalent items for Factors 1 and 2 of the scale were listed and compared across the two groups of children. Differences on Factor 1 showed that hearing impaired children were generally less assertive, while differences in rankings of particular items in Factor 2 were slight. The implications of the findings are discussed.

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