Table of Contents

ABSTRACT

The Listening Inventory for Education- Revised (LIFE-R) is a self-reporting tool that enables students in third grade and up to self-report how well they perceive their hearing in various classroom, school and social circumstances. This can be useful in classrooms where noise can contribute to distraction and loss of auditory information, leading to difficulties in learning. This study aimed to translate the LIFE-R from the original English language to the Tamil language to benefit the Tamil student demographic in India. A total of 68 students participated, 34 had hearing difficulties and 34 had normal hearing. The original LIFE-R in English was translated to the Tamil language. Data was collected using the translated questionnaires. Statistical analysis was done with the data obtained. Students from 13 to 17 years of age were able to understand and answer the questions. The questionnaire was applied in multiple mainstream schools and schools for the hearing impaired in Chennai and Puducherry. Reportedly, noise sources were mostly from ceiling fans when functional, computers and the commotion of other children in the classroom. Self-advocacy strategies were also used to convey that speech was not understood, by verbally or gesturally communicating to the teacher. Cronbach’s Alpha indicated that the questionnaire is reliable. The translated listening inventories for education in Tamil is a useful tool to understand classroom listening experiences of students.

Keywords: Classroom listening, hearing issue, typically developing, LIFE-R, India