How do communication modes of deaf and hard-of-hearing prereaders influence teachers' read-aloud goals?

Abstract

ABSTRACTDeaf and hard-of-hearing (DHH) literature suggests that there are different read-aloud goals for DHH prereaders based on the spoken and visual communication modes DHH prereaders use, such as: American Sign Language (ASL), simultaneously signed and spoken English (SimCom), and predominately spoken English only. To date, no studies have surveyed teachers of the d/Deaf (TODs) serving DHH children using these communication modes to determine whether they have different read-aloud goals. To address this gap, we collected read-aloud goal statements from 84 TODs: 16 serving DHH children using ASL (DHH-ASL), 35 serving DHH children using SimCom (DHH-SimCom), and 33 serving DHH children using spoken English only (DHH-oral). We conducted a content analysis to isolate key concepts from each group’s goal statements. All TODs use read alouds to build background knowledge, basic language skills in either ASL or English, and sight word recognition. TODs differ in read-aloud goals based on the language DHH children use to communicate. Only TODs serving DHH children using English use read alouds to build sequencing skills and verbal reasoning. Although our findings indicate TODs serving DHH-SimCom and DHH-oral target verbal reasoning by asking questions during read alouds, it is unclear the types of questions (literal, inferential) they ask. All TODs in our study failed to mention increasing independent story retells as a read aloud goal, which we believe is a missed opportunity for supporting both cognitive and linguistic development in all DHH children, regardless of the spoken and visual communication modes they use to communicate.