A Validation and Normative Study of a Teacher Inventory Scale for Evaluation of Functional Hearing of Malaysian Children in a Preschool Setting

The validity and reliability of parental questionnaires for evaluating children's hearing in real-world listening environments have been reported in previous studies, but very little research on teacher-reported questionnaires on young children has been reported. Purpose: The present study aimed to examine the validity and reliability of the Malay Teacher's Evaluation of Aural/Oral Performance of Children Plus (TEACH+) Rating Scale for measuring functional hearing of preschoolers in Malaysia. Method: The TEACH+ was adapted into Malay. Fourteen teachers from a preschool completed the Malay TEACH+ Scale for 96 preschool children with normal hearing. Additionally, eight teachers repeated the assessment within a month. Validity and reliability were examined, and normative scores were derived. Results: The adapted scale was found to be valid with high content validity (item–content validity index = .88–1.0), face validity, and construct validity. Reliability tests shows good internal consistency (α = .9), corrected item–total correlation values (.65–.91), and overall test–retest reliability (intraclass correlation coefficient = .79–.88). The TEACH+ scores showed that functional performance of children ages < 36 months was poorer than older children, and performance in quiet was better than performance in noise. The normative data can be used as a guide to monitor auditory functional performance and listening efforts of Malaysian children ages > 36 months in preschool settings. Conclusion: The Malay TEACH+ Rating Scale is a valid and reliable tool for teachers to identify preschool-age children who may need additional support to optimize their functional hearing.