ABSTRACT

This study investigated children’s and early childhood educators’ perspectives on the impact of asound amplification system in a preschool setting. The sample included 69 children aged 3-5 yearsand nine early childhood educators from a preschool in regional Australia. Children completed selfreportbooklets, rating how well they could hear in group time situations prior to and after theimplementation of a sound amplification system. Early childhood educators completed an adaptedversion of the Listening Inventory for Education-Revised, rating the children’s hearing and listening.Quantitative analyses indicated that children’s hearing and listening improved, as reported by botheducators and children. Qualitative analyses indicated that children and educators felt positive aboutthe sound amplification system, that children could hear other children better, particularly at newstime, that it helped children with speech difficulties to be better understood, and that it improved theconfidence of the quieter children with speaking in front of the group.

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