The Assessment of Written Phrasal Constructs and Grammar of Deaf and Hard of Hearing Students with Varying Expressive Language Abilities

Lisa M Bowers,Shannon C Graham,Hannah Dostal,Kimberly A Wolbers

doi:10.1155/2018/2139626

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to examine the written phrasal constructs and grammar usage of deaf and hard of hearing students with varying expressive language skills. Twenty-nine d/hh middle school students attending a residential school for the deaf were divided into three language groups: students using spoken English, ASL/English bilinguals, and language delayed learners. Personal narrative writing samples were collected at the beginning, middle, and end of the academic year. The samples were divided into T-units and coded for language variables, including word efficiency ratio (WER) scores according to the Structural Analysis of Written Language (SAWL) and phrasal errors. The repeated measures ANOVA for WER III showed a statistically significant main effect with no between-subjects factor, demonstrating that students from all three language groups made positive gains in their written outcomes over one academic year. There was a reduction in phrasal errors over the course of the year for all language groups. Differences in word efficiency ratio scores by language groups are discussed. Findings from this study suggest that SAWL is an effective tool in assessing the grammaticality of written compositions for d/hh students with varying language abilities over time. Instructional implications are discussed.

Highlights

Deaf and hard of hearing (d/hh) students are a heterogeneous group that present with language and literacy abilities both unique to this population and to each individual
Placement of students into these language groups was finalized after a two-phase review, which first included an initial analysis of student language histories as they related to the three expressive language categories presented above. en, the researchers reviewed videotaped classroom instruction and individual student interviews to cross-check the groupings established by the teacher
Results of the repeated measures ANOVA for word efficiency ratio (WER) I, or total number of words in perfect T-units divided by the total word count, demonstrated a nonsignificant main effect (F(2, 52) 1.68, p 0.2)

Summary

Introduction

Deaf and hard of hearing (d/hh) students are a heterogeneous group that present with language and literacy abilities both unique to this population and to each individual. When a child with hearing loss has limited access to language, deficits in linguistic competence can directly influence areas of reading and writing development [1]. While the purpose of this paper is to examine d/hh middle school students’ use of incoherent structures and agrammatical elements in written expression, it is important to first explore the relationship between language acquisition, linguistic competence, and literacy skills. Models of literacy acquisition emphasize the integral relationship between linguistic proficiency, language comprehension, and literacy skills, as many oral language skills contribute to the literary abilities of children with typical hearing [2]. Language skills provide a foundation for the process of learning how to read and write, with the implication that children entering school with weak or delayed language abilities are more likely to experience deficits in literacy [3]. While most monolingual children with typical hearing primarily use auditory information to acquire language and linguistic competence, Education Research International there are a number of diverse pathways for d/hh children to learn language

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