Date of Award

Spring 2017

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Audiology (AuD)

Department

School of Communication

First Advisor

Steven Madix

Abstract

The profession of audiology is projecting a critical shortage of practicing professionals in the near future. Although there are many potential factors that are contributing to this problem, it is generally agreed that audiology as a profession is not readily identified as a career choice by undergraduate students, nor a recognizable healthcare field/service among the general public. Due to the increased instances of hearing loss in the general population as well as the aging of the population and need for audiological services, it is imperative to find an efficient means to improve the awareness of audiology as a potential career choice among undergraduate students. The purpose of the present study was to examine the effect of gamification on audiology awareness among young adults using a game-based system called Kahoot!. Undergraduate students of various classifications and ages at Louisiana Tech University were used in the study. Participants were given a pretest questionnaire to determine how much they knew about the profession of audiology and hearing loss prevention prior to the game. Following completion of the pretest, one session of Kahoot! was administered, where a series of questions were asked with the correct answers later explained to reinforce the information presented.

At the conclusion of the study, a posttest questionnaire was distributed to measure how much of the information presented during the game was retained, and to determine whether the gaming exercise had produced interest in the profession of audiology; as well as hearing loss prevention techniques. Results revealed that utilizing the game-based model significantly affected the interest that undergraduate students had in the profession of audiology, indicating that game-based models or gamification could be an effective way to advocate and educate undergraduate students about the profession of audiology and hearing conservation strategies.

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