Reliability Analysis of the Arabic Speech Matrix Test

• Published in: Laryngoscope investigative otolaryngology Vol. 10; no. 2; pp. e70138 - n/a
• Main Authors: Asiri, Alia, Almuhawas, Fida, Alrushaydan, Dalal, Aljabr, Mada, Mesallam, Tamer A., Yousef, Medhat
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Hoboken, USA John Wiley & Sons, Inc 01.04.2025; Wiley
• Subjects: Audiometry; Cochlear implants; Hearing aids; hearing impairment; Hearing loss; reliability testing; Speech; speech in noise test; speech matrix tests; Standard deviation; Voice recognition; hearing impairment; speech in noise test; speech matrix tests; reliability testing
• ISSN: 2378-8038; 2378-8038
• DOI: 10.1002/lio2.70138

ABSTRACT Objective Speech matrix tests offer information about a person's capacity to comprehend speech in noisy environments, which is an essential component of everyday communication, in contrast to pure tone audiometry, which primarily assesses hearing sensitivity. This study aimed to assess the test–retest reliability of the Arabic Speech Matrix test. Methods This is a prospective cohort study that included three groups: normal hearing individuals, cochlear implant users, and those using hearing aids. Seventy‐five participants were included in the study. The test was administered in two different settings with noise presented from various angles. The test was re‐administered to participants after a 7–14 days interval, and Intra‐class Correlation Coefficient (ICC) and Bland–Altman plots were used to evaluate reliability. Results Moderate to excellent reliability was demonstrated, with higher consistency observed among hearing‐impaired groups using cochlear implants and other devices. Minor learning effects were noted in the normal hearing group, with better reliability observed in the left setting. Conclusion The Arabic Speech Matrix test demonstrated strong test–retest reliability overall, indicating that it can be successfully incorporated into regular clinical audiological evaluations. Level of Evidence 4 Our objective for this study was to evaluate the test–retest reliability of The Arabic speech matrix test for either normal hearing or hearing‐impaired subjects. The test showed highly comparable reliability results across the whole test. This high test–retest reliability supports the use of the Arabic speech matrix test as one of the clinic's test batteries for audiological evaluation.