Abstract of Project Funded for FY 2000
| Use and Validity of the Universal Nonverbal Intelligence Test (UNIT) with Students who are Deaf and Hard of Hearing
Jennifer Hampton, Melissa Holincheck, Tracy Krout, Carol Mauermann, Theresa Rollins, Psychology This proposal seeks support to cover the cost of test materials used to investigate the use and validity of the UNIT with students who are deaf and hard of hearing. The UNIT represents the most recent instrument marketed for assessment of nonverbal intelligence; however, it lacks sufficient data concerning specific use with deaf and hard of hearing students. The proposed study seeks to: (1) obtain UNIT score profiles on 100-125 students currently being served by Gallaudet graduate student interns in five deaf education programs (Indiana, Louisiana, South Carolina, Iowa, and New York); (2) investigate the concurrent validity of those UNIT scores against WISC-III Performance Scale measures of nonverbal intelligence; and (3) investigate the predictive validity of those UNIT scores a they relate to Stanford-9 achievement. UNIT score profiles obtained from this study will expand upon the limited data base describing how deaf and hard of hearing students perform on this most recent test of nonverbal intelligence. Analyses of correlations among UNIT and WISC-III scores will provide either confirming, or refuting, evidence of the concurrent validity of the UNIT as a means of assessing nonverbal intelligence for students who are deaf and hard of hearing students. Analyses of intercorrelations among UNIT and Stanford-9 scores will offer school psychologists predictive validity data addressing how UNIT scores relate, or fail to relate, to school achievement for deaf and hard of hearing students. |