Abstract
The use of Morse code in rehabilitation applications is usually taught by visual or auditory methods. Yet, people experienced in Morse code use in land-line and radio telegraphy suggest that encoding and decoding rates can be enhanced through primary reliance on auditory methods for mastering the code. This study investigated the best way to learn Morse code. Sixty healthy adults with no preliminary knowledge of Morse code, ages 18 to 30 years, participated. Subjects were randomly divided into three groups to learn the Morse code through three different methods: visual chart reference method; auditory method using computer software; and combined method. After the practice period, the encoding rate and accuracy were tested using a handwriting test. One-way analysis of variance was used for each of the two measurements: time and error.
Subjects from the combined method group were significantly faster than subjects from the visual method, and had significantly fewer errors than subjects in the auditory method. Therefore, if both time and accuracy of conveyance are important, it appears that learning through both the visual and the auditory systems allow the subjects best to internalise the codes as language. These conclusions should apply not only for the teaching of clients, but also when mastering the Morse code as clinicians.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.