A cross-language and cross-cultural validation of the parents' evaluation of aural/oral performance of children plus (PEACH+) rating scale in Singaporean children

The PEACH (Parents' Evaluation of Aural/Oral Performance of Children) has been adapted into different languages and examined in terms of its validity for use in different populations. However, a cross-cultural, cross-language assessment is lacking. This study aimed to investigate the validity and normative data of the PEACH+ Rating Scale in documenting listening behavior of children in Singapore, and to compare its results to the data obtained in different languages and cultures. About 116 Singaporean parents of children (ages: 6 months–10 years) with normal hearing completed the PEACH+ scale in English. The PEACH+ was validated by assessing its internal consistency and construct validity. Normative data were established and related to published data for the PEACH in other languages and cultures. The Singapore PEACH+ showed high internal consistency and item-total correlation. Significantly higher scores were obtained for listening behavior in quiet than in noisy environments, for both the Frequency of Listening Behavior and the Ease of Listening scales. The English PEACH norm curves for the Singaporean population correlated significantly with those in different languages (Swedish, French, Chinese and Malay) and the English norm curves for samples in different countries (Australia, Canada and Malaysia). The consistency of the PEACH data across languages and cultures suggests the scale is a reliable tool to evaluate the auditory functional performance of children with normal hearing in real-world listening environments. Future research should be extended to broader and more diverse populations in Singapore beyond those recruited in the current study.