The status of corrective speech programs in elementary schools of small city districts of California

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THE STATUS OF CORRECTIVE SPEECH PROGRAMS IN ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS OF SMALL CITY DISTRICTS OF CALIFORNIA

A Thesis Presented to the Faculty of the School of Education The University of Southern California

In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Master of Science in Education

by Louis Alvin Tallman September 1942

UMI Number: EP56456

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T h i s thesis, w r i t t e n u n d e r t h e d i r e c t i o n o f t he C h a i r m a n o f the cand id a te ’s G u id a n c e C o m m i tt e e a n d a p p r o v e d hy a l l m em bers o f the C o m m itte e , has been p r e s e n t e d to a n d a c c e p t e d b y t h e F a c u l t y o f the S c h o o l o f E d u c a t i o n o f T h e U n i v e r s i t y o f S o u t h e r n C a l i f o r n i a in p a r t i a l f u l f i l l m e n t o f the re q u ire m e n ts f o r the degree o f M a s t e r o f Science in E d u c a t io n .

D a te

September 11, 1942

D ea n G u idan ce C o m m itte e

Paul Pi slier C h airm an

Louis P. Thorpe

M. M. Thompson

TABLE OF CONTENTS CHAPTER I.

PACE

THE PROBLEM, RELATED READING, AND ITS ORGANIZATION.............................

1

The problem

• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •

1

Statement of the problem • • • • • • • • •

1

Analysis of the problem

2

• • • • • • • • •

Validity of the investigation

. . . . . .

2

Related investigations • • • • • • • • • • •

7

Review of similar investigations • • . . • A* M. Drummond

7

Edna Cotrel

8

. . • • • • • • • • • . • •

Alice Chapin • • • • • • * • • Henry J* Otto

........

9

. . • • • • • • • • • • •

10

James Murray • • • • • • • • • • • • • •

11

Emma G. Header • • • • • • • • • • • • •

11

Organization •

II.

7

12

Procedure adopted for this investigation •

12

Organization of the following chapters . ♦

15

FINANCIAL PROBLEMS OF A CORRECTIVE SPEECH PROGRAM

...............

19

Inclusion of speech programs for state aid •

19

Basis of state apportionment payments

20

...

Extent of state aid to the systems • • • . •

21

iii CHAPTER

PACE Equipment furnished by civic groups

. . . .

Salary schedules and bonuses * • • • • • • •

24 24

III. THE ADMINISTRATION OP CORRECTIVE SPEECH PROGRAMS...................

28

Average daily attendance of systems studied

28

Number of speech cases included

• • • • • •

29

Percentages of children included . . . . . .

32

Speech centers for individual schools

...

32

....

33

Teachers administering the programs

Length and number of daily classes • • • • •

34

Size of speech correction classes

.....

37

Limiting factors of class size . . . . . . .

37

Frequency of class m e e t i n g s .........

40

Factors limiting semesters of instruction Medical diagnostic assistance available IV.



44

• •

48

SELECTION OF CHILDREN, THEIR DEFECTS AND BACKGROUNDS

.........

54

Selection of students

• • • • • • . . • • •

54

Method of determining types of defects . . .

56

Percentages of types of defects found

59

...

Environmental and background studies • • • • V.

PROCEDURES AND MATERIALS

........

61 68

Percentages of time devoted to correction of different types of defects

• • • • • •

68

iv CHAPTER

PAGE Classroom teacher responsibility..........

70

Basic texts used in programs • • • • • • • •

73

Supplementary books used in programs • . .



76

Rooms for exclusive speech correction use



79

Mechanical testing and recording..........

79

Uses made of physical teaching media . . . .

82

The use of visual a i d s ....................

85

Factors influencing the percentages of cures effected . • .

..................

Percentages of improvements effected . ♦ .

86 ♦

Action taken on non-improved c a s e s ........ VI.

88

PROBLEMS, BENEFITS, AND FUTURE PIANS OF EXISTING PROGRAMS

VII.

87

........................

93

Problems confronting the various programs



93

Future plans proposed by the systems • . .



95

Benefits and values of existing programs •



101

SUMMARY AND C O N C L U S I O N S ......................

108

Restatement of the problem • • • • • . • • •

108

Review of investigation procedures ........

108

Financial aspects of the program • • • • • •

108

Organization of teaching u n i t s ............

109

• Students comprising the programs..........

109

Defects encountered in the p ro g r a m ........

110

Procedures and methods used in the programs

111

V

CHAPTER

PAGE Results

ofthe speech correction program ..•

112

C o n c l u s i o n s ........................ Recommendations

.........

1 . . .

BIBLIOGRAPHY........................................

114 115

LIST OF TABLES

Systems Ineluded in Circularizing List of the Questionnaire............... Systems Replying to the Questionnaire

♦ .

13

• • .

16

Financial Assistance for the Corrective Speech P r o g r a m.......... . ............

22

Salary Schedules and Financial Assistance for Speech Correction Teachers

26

Administrative Units of Corrective Speech Programs • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •

30

Teachers Administering Corrective Speech Programs ............................... Classes of Corrective Speech Programs

♦ ♦ •

35 38

Class Size Limitations for Corrective 41

Speech Programs Instruction Periods During the Week Devoted to Each Class

................

45

Maximum Semesters Allowed Each Child for Corrective Speech Work • • • • • • • « • • Medical Diagnostic Services Available

• • .

49 51

Selection of Students for Speech Correction Classes * * • • • • • • • • « * Percentages of Speech Disorders

. . * • • •

57 62

vii PAGE Children1s Background and Environmental Studies Made for Corrective Speech Programs.......................

65

Percentage of Time Devoted to Correction of Different Types of Disorders

........

71

Responsibility of the Classroom Teacher 74

in a Corrective Speech Program . . . . . . Basic Texts Used for Corrective Speech

77

Programs ............................... Supplementary Books Used for Corrective Speech Programs

..........

••

80

Mechanical and Visual Aids Used in the Corrective Speech Programs ............ Percentages of Improvements Effected Action Taken on Non-Improved Cases



85

. . ..

89

and

Problems Confronting Corrective Speech Programs

................

Future Plans of Corrective Speech Programs •

96 99

Future Plans and Opinions of Systems Not Having Corrective Speech Programs

. . . .

102

Benefits and Value of a Corrective Speech Program

• • • • • • • • * .

............

105

CHAPTER I TEE PROBLEM, RELATED READINGS, AND ITS ORGANIZATION Many plans have been proposed recently for speech correction programs in the secondary schools and institu­ tions of higher learning, but very little has been set forth to guide the organization of a speech correction pro­ gram for the elementary school.

Some of the practices used

in the programs for older children may be adapted to. the younger level, but the exact extent and procedures are still open to question. Practically all of the large systems have provision for speech correction clinics or classes for elementary children, but many of the small systems are still without this service.

It is hoped that a study of this problem,-

from the standpoint of the small school system, will pro­ vide a basis for making a program to benefit the children afflicted with speech handicaps in the small school systems I.

THE PROBLEM

Statement of the problem. This investigation repre­ sents an attempt to determine whether a program of speech correction is feasible in a small elementary school system having a pupil population of between 1000 and 2500 students

2 Analysis of the problem.

In facing the problem of

instituting a program of speech correction, several ques­ tions arise for consideration, the foremost of which are as follows: 1.

Are there any small school systems that now have

speech correction programs In operation?

If so, how are

they organized? 2,

What are the major speech defects necessitating

correction, and what degree of emphasis should be placed on each type of defect? 3,

What procedures are used in the speech classes?

4.

How could such a program be financed?

5*

What are the problems inherent in such a speech

correction program? 6.

What benefits are derived from the work of a

corrective speech program? Validity of the investigation.

Before making any

investigation, it is only fair to ask if there is any need for such an Investigation, and then to determine if it will be of value after it Is made.

Two things must be consider­

ed in answering a question of this types first, the influence of the problem on the individuals concerned; sec­ ond, the extent of effect or number of Individuals con­ cerned in the problem.

3 On the basis of this criteria, the problem can be considered an important one, for it meets both qualifica­ tions*

In the first place, correct speech is one of the

greatest influences upon the work, personality, and social status of the child*

It has an influence on his whole

life; present and future*

Second, the number of children

suffering from speech defects is great enough to justify speech correction in even the smallest of school systems* The importance of correct or distinct speech to the child has been given very clearly by Barrows and Cordts1 in. the following statement from their book, The Teacher1s Book Of Phoneticss Helping the child to normal,, distinct speech is a service decidedly worth while. Faulty speech does more than retard the childrs progress in reading. His speech Is his chief means of expression; surely it is as vital to his well being as his posture, his personal appear­ ance, or the condition of his teeth. Improvement of a child* s speech may mean to him the removal of a handi­ cap which in the end might develop an inferiority com­ plex, making him feel unworthy in the society of his equals. A defect in speech often leads to a disinclin­ ation to speak, which in turn inhibits self-expression. Speech disorders play a very Important part in the personality of the child.

The very fact that he seems

^ Sarah Tracy Barrows and Anna D. Oordts, The Teacher1s Book of Phonetics (Hew Yorks Ginn and Company, 1927}, 199 pp. 2 Ibid., p. 11

4 different from other children puts him in a defensive attitude, and serves to draw him more within himself.

This

alone would give the speech defective a disadvantage in social situations.

Investigators have found that children

suffering from speech disorders are apt to be retarded In grade placement, whereas their mental ability is normal.^ This makes it evident that from an educational standpoint the children are not given their fullest opportunity. Orr

4

has given an excellent summary of the need of

control of the voice in the following quotation from his book, Voice for Speech: Voice, like any other act, Is a response, perhaps the more spontaneous response, when differentiated from speech, of all conscious physical acts. It is a direct revelation of our attitudes of mind, our thinking, and feeling. When our thinking becomes vague, our voice inflections become vague, when our emotions are intense, our voices tend to become intense. Thus our thinking ana feeling become the source of our vocal response. Surveys conducted by numerous investigators have proven that a great number of the children of school age suffer from speech defects.

Although they are not all in

3 A. K. Hoot, "Special Education and the Speech Defective," Educational Admini st rat ion and Supervision^ 13:257, April 1927. ^ Fredreick Wesley Orr, Voice for Speech (New York: McGraw-Hill Book Company, 1938) pp. 11-12. 5 Doc, cit.

5 agreement as to the actual number, it is quite evident that a larger number suffer from this handicap than from any other type of physical defect.

The difficult part of de­

termining the actual number of defects has been stated by Rogers^ as follows: It is difficult to draw a line between normal and abnormal speech, between speech defects and poor utterances, but one student of the subject would have it that 18 per cent of school children and about as many adults are defective.^ Q Although the survey conducted by Wallin was made several years ago, it is indicative of the great number of school children afflicted with speech disorders.

His survey

was conducted in the cities of San Francisco, Denver, Cleveland, Philadelphia, Hew York, and Boston among children with an age range of five to twenty-one years.

By means of

a questionnaire type of survey he found that among 89,057 .pupils there was an average of 2,8 per cent afflicted with speech disorders.

Various other investigators have placed

the percentage from 5 to 15 per cent with an apparent median

ft

James Rogers, Speech Defects and Their Correction, (Washington, D. C.s United States Government Printing Office Department of Interior, 1931), 28 pp. 7 Ibid., p.2 8 J, E. W. Wallin, "A Census of Speech. Defects," School and Society, 3:218-16, 1916.

of 10 per cent.

This is further amplified by the following Q

statement by BryngelsonJ ^ The White House conference of a few years ago reported that more than a million school children between the ages of five and eighteen are so' defective in speech that they require remedial treatment and training. Only about 60,000 of these are now receiving the nec­ essary corrective training, and treatment. Most speech surveys indicate that a little more than 10 per cent of the population has some type of speech defect, and of this number, there are about 1,500,000 stutterers, three times as many as the blind and deaf combined.-**^ Judging from these percentages, it would indicate that on a purely mathematical basis the number of children having speech defects in the systems of the size indicated for the study would range from 100 to 250 pupils.

In some

cases this might be less, but considering the large number of bilinguals in the schools of this state, the number would probably be greatly increased if attention was given to their improvement. From these illustrations, it may be concluded that the problem does have an influence upon the individual child, and consists of a sufficient number of cases to make it a definite school administrative problem.

^Bryng Bryngelson, ^Speech Problems and Speech Care,** Hygia, 13S888, October, 1935. 10

T 44Loc. cit.

II. RELATED INVESTIGATIOHS The entire field of speech correction work in the schools is a comparative recent development, and, as a result, there is a corresponding lack of written material upon the subject.

Many books have been written on method,

psychology, and classification of speech correction, and these have been used to some extent in the conducting of this investigation, where they have been applicable.

Sev­

eral studies have been made of larger systems, and of pro­ grams for instruction in the secondary schools and schools of college level.

Some current publications deal with the

subject by presenting outlines of plans that are in use, or critical evaluations of programs being followed. Some of the findings of people in the field are given here with the idea of their being related to the pro­ blem, but in no case have they been found to give a complet solution to the problem as it exists for the small school system. Review of similar investigations.

Several courses

of study have been prepared that are of benefit in organ­ izing a corrective speech program.

1

-i

Drummond^ has

A. M. Drummond, A Course of Study in Speech Training (Hew York, Century Company, 1925).

8

discussed one of these in his book, A Course of Study in Speech Training*

In this book he stresses the need of

teachers adapted to speech correction.

He is of the opinion

that too many teachers are being used in the work who are not qualified, and, as a consequence, in many cases, are doing more harm than good*

The teacher must have a thorough

background in methodology of correction, training in phon­ etics with all its ramifications, a great interest in the work, and above all, a good personality. io Cotrel has made a survey of seventy-five of the largest school systems of the country, and has tabulated this survey In A Survey of the Corrective Speech Work in the United States.

In this she set about the task of find­

ing how the speech programs were organized in these cities, and to what extent the work was being carried on.

She found

that the work was being given an important place In the curriculum placement of these systems.

She found that

there was at least one full time speech correction teacher to every three schools, and that this number was supple­ mented by a number of part time teachers.

Clinics had been

established in a number of the schools.

Ip

Edna Cotrel, A Survey of the Corrective Speech Work in the United States (San Francisco: San Francisco School System Publication, 1927)

In The Organization of Speech Correction Classes in Los Angeles City Schools, Chapin13 has outlined a program that could he adapted to a small system to a modified ex­ tent*

She has shown how the program was built for that city

by giving an example of the preliminary organization, the means by which it was carried out, and how the extent of the work was determined*

The problem of teacher selection was

given some consideration, and the training for the teachers was suggested*

In this report the relation of speech cor­

rection work to the rest of the curriculum was given*

In

this connection, she pointed out: Speech correction classes may be considered auxiliary classes in the general school curriculum* Good speech and good diction are linked with all school work, and the child who cannot express himself is readily handi­ capped*14 A suggested plan of organization of the classes is given, as well as many suggestions for specific aids*

She

also stressed the need for teachers to understand the physical factors necessary in the formation of speech* A plan for a method of providing instruction in

13 Alice Chapin, ”The Organization of Speech Correct­ ion Classes in the Los Angeles City Schools,” (Unpublished Master1s thesis, The University of Southern California, Los Angeles, 1923). 14 Ibid.. p. 21.

10 rural counties is presented in an article by Otto ^ en­ titled Utilizing Teacher1s Talents in Small Schools. The counties involved in this particular project were in south­ western Michigan, having a total population of 90,000, and were served by twenty-five’graded and consolidated schools and 340 rural one room schools.

In this project, the W. K.

Kellog Foundation provided the funds for an eight weeks course in speech correction for twenty-two teachers from the lower grades.

Lower grade teachers were used because of the

free time they would have after school, and because they were the first to contact the child in school.

Provision

was made for these teachers to spend some time with the older children after their own classes had been dismissed. During the first year of operation, 403 children .were aided by the program, with a very high percentage of cures re­ ported.

The short teacher-training course was supplemented

by frequent two day conferences for the teachers during the school year, giving them opportunities to consult ex­ perts in the field. From a study of twenty-nine school systems in the United States, having populations of 40,000 or more in their cities, a survey to determine the status of speech

^ Henry J, Otto, **Utilizing Teacher*s Special Talents in Small Schools,*1 Educational Admini st rat ion and Supervision. 23:35-42, January, 1937.

11 correction programs in large cities was conducted by Murrayi^ In one chapter, a discussion was presented of the organization of corrective speech departments in the cities represented.

In this regard, he described the var­

ious units that made up the departments.

An analysis of

the percentage of cures found was given by comparing the cures effected among the boys as contrasted to girls.

The

encouraging part of his report is In the extremely high percentages of cures established. Header-^ in Teaching Speech in the Elementary Schools has given a comparative study of.speech education In the elementary schools of England and the United States.

These

were compared as they are the two leading English speaking countries of the world. sections;

The study was divided into four

the first considered what was meant by 11good

speech”, both in England and in the United States, and the attitude toward it; section two dealt with the place, function, and status of speech education in the schools of the United States; in section three, the same treatment was

^ James Murray, ”The Status of Corrective Speech Instruction in the Public Schools of the United States”. (Unpublished Master*s thesis, The University of Southern California, Los Angeles, 1930) 17 Emma G. Meader, Teaching Speech in the Elementary Schools (Teachers College Contributions to Education, No. 317, New York: Teachers College, Columbia University, 1928).

12 given for the elementary schools of England; section four was a compilation of the results of the investigation with a constructive program for speech education in the elemen­ tary schools of the United States, and suggestions for the training of the teachers to carry out the program. XXX.

ORGANIZATION

Procedure adopted for this investigation.

It was

determined by the investigator that the nature of the problem would demand a survey of the school systems in the size range indicated.

Owing to the great number of school

systems that would be in this grouping, it was decided to limit the systems contacted in the survey to California schools, considering the fact that the author was connected with these schools.

For this purpose, a questionnaire was

made out and sent to eighty-two systems to determine the answers to the questions proposed under the analysis of the problem given earlier in the chapter.

The majority of the

systems were of the size indicated for the study.

However,

a few slightly larger systems were used for comparative purposes as to the effectiveness of the corrective speech programs existing in the smaller systems.

The school

systems included in this circularizing list have been shown in Table I.

In the various later Tables, the larger

systems are presented alphabetically after the listing of

13 TABLE I SYSTEMS INCLUDED IN CIRCULARIZING LIST OP THE QUESTIONNAIRE

Albany

El Monte

Alhambra

Eureka

Anahiem

Exeter

Arcadia

Fullerton

Arlington

Garvey

Bakersfield

Inglewood

Baldwin Park

Hanford

Bellflower

Hawthorne

Beverly Hills

Hayward

Burbank

Lodi

Burlingame

Lynwood

Calexico

Madera

Chico

Martinez

Clearwater

Marysville

Colton

Merced

Compton

Modesto

Corona

Monrovia

Coronado

Montebello

Daly City

Monterey

El Centro

Napa

El Cerrito

National City

14 TABLE I (Continued) SYSTEMS INCLUDED IN CIRCULARIZING LIST OF THE QUESTIONNAIRE

Niles

San Leandro

Ontario

San Luis Obispo

Oroville

San Marino

Oxnard

San Mateo

Palo Alto

San Rafael

Petaluma

Santa Barbara

Piedmont

Santa Clara

Pittsburg

Santa Crug

Pomona

Santa Maria

Redding

Santa Paula

Redlands

Santa Rosa

Redondo Beach

South Pasadena

Redwood City

Taft

Richmond

Vallejo

Riverside

Ventura

Rosemead

Visalia

Roseville

Watsonville

Salinas

Whittier

San Anselmo

Willows

San Gabriel

Woodland

15 the smaller systems for ease in comparison. This questionnaire was designed to give the invest­ igator information concerning the organization and admin­ istration of programs in use, and to determine the number of systems having such a program.

Replies were received

from thirty-eight systems, of which twenty-seven had cor­ rective speech programs. found in Table II.

The names of these systems can be

These replies served also to give a

frequency basis of the types of defects, and the necessary emphasis given to each to effect a cure.

The procedures

and methods in use were studied to determine the best current practices.

The effectiveness of the speech correct­

ion program was evidenced by the number of cures effected, the improvements shown, and the non-improvements.

An

attempt was made to find the pertinent problems confronting the programs of the various school systems.

The future

plans of each system were considered from the standpoint of improvements to the corrective speech program. This information, gained from the questionnaire, was supplemented by interviews with people considered to be authorities in the field of speech correction. Organization of the following chapters.

In the

following chapter, the author will present his findings from the survey undertaken in the solution of the questions

16 TABLE II SYSTEMS REPLYING TO THE QUESTIONNAIRE

Albany *

Pittsburg *

Alhambra #

Redding *

Baldwin Park

Redwood City &

Beverly Hills ■*

Richmond *

Clearwater

Riverside *

Cotton *

Rosemead

Coronado *.

Roseville *

Daly City *

Salinas

El Monte »

San Luis Obispo *

Garvey

San Mateo *

Inglewood #

Santa Barbara *

Hawthorne *

Santa Cruz *

Hayward #

Santa Maria

Lodi

Santa Rosa

Martinez *

South Pasadena

Montebello #

Taft *

Ontario

Vallejo #

Oxnard *

Ventura #

Palo Alto *

Watsonville

* Indicates system has corrective speech program in operation*

17 raised earlier in this chapter.

In Chapter II, the finan-

cing of a program for speech correction will be discussed. One phase to be dealt with is the aid that can be given through the state in its apportionments for the education of physically handicapped children. the various systems will be analyzed.

The method of financing The problem will also

be considered from the teacherfs standpoint in regard to increases in salary for additional training or added res­ ponsibilities, and subsidies or bonuses for additional study. In Chapter III will be presented an analysis of the administrative units of the systems having speech correct­ ion programs now in operation.

This presentation will In­

clude the scope of the programs, how they are administered, how classes are conducted in relation to size and frequency, and the extent of medical aid available for supervision and examinat ion. The methods used by various systems in selecting students for their corrective speech programs, the types of disorders encountered, and studies made of influencing factors in the children1s backgrounds will be given in Chapter IV. Chapter V will include°a study of the actual methods and procedures being followed by the different systems. The percentage of time allotted by the speech corrective

IB

programs for treatment of specific disorders, the respons­ ibility of the classroom teacher, the types and utilization of texts and mechanical aids, and the percentages of major and minor improvements, as well as the disposition made of non-improvement cases, will be discussed in this chapter* The contents of Chapter VI will be concerned with the various problems confronting the speech correction programs, the future plans of the systems for expansion of their programs and solution of their problems, and the analysis of the benefits which corrective speech teachers feel have been derived from their speech corrective work* An overview of the entire study, including the conclusions and recommeiidations of the author, will be pre­ sented in Chapter VII*

CHAPTER II FINANCIAL PROBLEMS OF A CORRECTIVE SPEECH PROGRAM Perhaps one of the major problems confronting a school system contemplating the institution of a speech corrective program is that of financing such an -undertaking* In meeting this problem, the primary step would be to ascertain the availibility, to the particular school system, of funds provided by the State of California for the cor­ rection of speech defects and disorders of school children* A secondary consideration would be the relationship of the salaries of speech correction teachers to those of regular classroom teachers within the system*

The relative value

of granting bonuses to speech correction teachers as an in­ centive for further study is another factor which should be deeided* Inclusion of speech programs for state aid*

Special

educational services are provided for physically handicapped children through the provisions of the state School Oode*^ The authority for including speech defectives in this pro­ vision may be found in Section 3.606 of the School Code*

-*• State of California, School Code (Sacramento: California State Printing Office, 104