Journal of Deaf Studies and Deaf Education最新文献

The development of American Sign Language (ASL) literacy (or signacy) in deaf students is influenced by the exposure and instruction they receive, yet research on current ASL teaching practices remains limited. This study investigates how teachers in deaf education approach ASL literacy instruction through a nationwide survey and focus groups. The research explored six key areas: curriculum and standards, instructional methods, time allocation, genre instruction, and teacher preparation. Findings indicate that while ASL literacy instruction is recognized as an important component of bilingual education, it lacks formalized curricula, sufficient instructional time, and structured instructional approaches. These findings suggest a need for increased research, professional development, and institutional support to enhance ASL literacy instruction in deaf education.

After decades of research, many researchers (and the parents, educators, and clinicians who rely on the results of their scientific inquiry) maintain opposing views regarding appropriate strategies for ensuring adequate language and literacy development among young deaf children. These viewpoints range from the exclusive use of cochlear implants (with no visual language) to the exclusive use of a visual language (with no implantation). Recent authors have posited the potential benefits of early sign language for implanted children and have refuted claims that signing will negatively impact the success of implantation, but little research has explored the nature of these benefits in detail. This study examines the impact of sign language skill on emergent literacy for a sample of implanted 5-year-old deaf children. Using hierarchical regression modeling, this study evaluates whether the addition of a measure of American Sign Language (ASL) receptive skills to a model that includes the age of implantation increases the predictability of performance on two measures of emergent English literacy. The results confirm the hypothesis that level of ASL skill positively impacts emerging literacy, controlling for the age of implantation. Potential biasing effects of demographic variables are presented and discussed, as are implications for future research.

Despite the recognition that deaf children and young people's (CYP) experiences should be central to practice and policy that promotes inclusion, relatively few studies have explored deaf CYP's perspectives concerning their everyday hearing experiences. This systematic review identified and synthesized qualitative research exploring deaf CYP's experiences of hearing in everyday contexts. Searches identified 31 papers that met the inclusion criteria. Using thematic synthesis to analyze findings, four themes were identified. The experience of hearing was individualised and influenced by the sounds that CYP could hear, the environment, and supportive strategies. Challenging listening conditions and strategies to manage the experience of hearing were identified, which may be considered by parents, practitioners and policymakers. However, due to the multiple factors that influence hearing, deaf CYP should be consulted on what they find challenging and the strategies they find helpful. Further research exploring deaf CYP's experiences of hearing outside of school is needed.

This document explored the significant challenges and inequalities faced by the deaf and hard-of-hearing (DHH) population in the Colombian labor market, highlighting key quantitative findings. The analysis, which utilized a representative sample and an economic labor model, revealed significant disparities. One major finding was that the wage gap for DHH individuals was twice as large as for the hearing population, with 97.0% of this gap attributed to discrimination or unexplained factors. The study showed that crucial variables like education, wage, and gender were undervalued in determining working hours for DHH individuals, underscoring systemic discrimination. To address these issues, the document recommends implementing inclusive policies, expanding educational opportunities, and empowering DHH women in the labor market. By promoting legislation that protects the rights of DHH individuals and increasing societal awareness of their capabilities, the document highlights the potential of these measures to improve the quality of life for the DHH population while fostering broader social and economic progress in Colombia.

Hearing people have given their perspectives on deaf1 people and their abilities since antiquity. Recent years have witnessed growth in American Sign Language (ASL) classes as a world language2 in U.S. high schools. This study examines hearing ASL learners' perspectives of the communities and cultures of signing deaf people after they learned about them as a part of their learning of ASL as a world language and assesses the basis on which they develop their perspectives. The N = 217 learners from three northeastern U.S. metropolitan high schools at three different class levels of ASL were asked a question about their thoughts about the signing Deaf communities and cultures. They revealed four perspectives: humanism, pluralism, majority-minority, and no perspective. In addition, the type and distribution of perspectives did not vary across schools and curricula used by teachers and were stable across class levels. Taking coursework did not affect the overall distribution of perspectives among ASL learners at all schools and class levels. A Learner's Social Philosophy Model is proposed to explain the learners' perspectives that are shaped by their social philosophy regarding the nature of humanity, society, and culture.

While recent studies have highlighted promising deaf-centered instructional approaches and positive writing outcomes for deaf and hard of hearing (DHH) students, there remains a gap in research on the validity of writing fluency assessments for DHH learners. This study examines the reliability and validity of the Correct Word Sequences (CWS) task as a measure of written fluency in DHH first and second graders, comparing it to the Woodcock-Johnson III Writing Fluency subtest (WJ-III WF). A sample of 64 children participated, and multiple linear regression models were used to assess the relationship between CWS and WJ-III WF scores across fall and spring semesters. Findings suggest that CWS is a reliable and valid measure of writing fluency for young DHH writers, offering a potential alternative or complement to existing assessments.

Approximately 50% of children first identified with hearing loss present with mild bilateral and unilateral hearing loss (MUHL), but little is known about their functioning in the school years. The purpose of this study was to examine caregivers' perceptions of their child's functioning and needs at school age. This qualitative inquiry was a follow-up to interviews conducted following the diagnosis of MUHL. Seventeen of the original 20 caregivers participated in this study. The median age of the children at the time of the interviews was 1.0 (8.7-10.7) years. Results represent parents' experiences in four key areas: (a) the challenge of transition, (b) the impact of hearing loss on functional outcomes, (c) the challenges of MUHL, including concerns about "falling through the cracks" and low expectations, and (d) the importance of advocacy. Parents indicated that while their child may not need as much direct support as children with more severe hearing loss, as parents, they still need support and guidance to navigate the educational system. These findings provide valuable insight into parents' perspectives, contribute to our understanding of the impact of MUHL on educational outcomes and highlight the need to ensure that these children are not overlooked.

This qualitative study aimed to explore parents' perceptions regarding the communication of their school-aged child with cochlear implants (CIs) in various social contexts. To this end, the construct of "communicative participation" (World Health Organization (2001), International Classification of Functioning, Disability, and Health, https://www.who.int/standards/classifications/international-classification-of-functioning-disability-and-health) was broadly applied to the population of children with CIs. Nineteen parents participated in semi-structured interviews and described their perceptions and experiences regarding the communication of their child in social contexts. Data were analyzed using a thematic analysis approach. The results showed that overall, despite describing very positive outcomes with CIs, parents reported that their children do experience participation restrictions and activity limitations because of communication difficulties and/or environmental and social barriers. The findings from this study unveiled the communication difficulties of school-aged children with CIs, as experienced by their parents. These difficulties-which may seem subtle-can significantly impact the participation in communication. Language interventions could be improved to better support pupils who are experienced CI users.

Although previous studies have suggested that language deprivation may affect the development of executive functions (EFs), there are no assessment tools adapted to the language needs of deaf-and-hard-of-hearing (DHH) children. The present study had two objectives: (1) to examine the feasibility of the Executive Brain Battery in assessing 40 prelingually deaf-and-hard-of-hearing children between 6 and 12 years, and (2) to explore whether some sociodemographic and clinical variables could be associated with the performance of deaf children. The results showed that all tasks included in the Executive Brain Battery were practicable for more than 75% of participants, with the decision-making task being the only one that demonstrated an improvement in the performance of children between 6-8 and 9-12 years of age. Moreover, the 6-8 years group displayed a sex effect in inhibition and decision-making tasks. However, this effect disappears in the 9-12 years group, which showed only a negative effect of cochlear implants on the theory of mind task.

This paper reports upon an evaluation of a school-based screening program aimed at detecting psychological problems1 in 495 deaf and hard of hearing (DHH) students. The first aim of the study was to evaluate the actual implementation of this program. Furthermore, the prevalence of internalizing and externalizing problems in a subset of 277 DHH students was analysed and subsequently how these problems vary as a function of age, gender, context, and negative life circumstances (NLCs). The results show higher prevalence rates of psychological problems compared to typical hearing peers, but lower than in previous studies. More problems were observed in the context of school than at home. No age or gender differences were found, but significantly more internalizing problems in DHH adolescents than externalizing problems. Prevalence of psychological problems among DHH students without NLCs were significantly lower than among students with one or more NLCs. The results shows a screening program to identify psychological problems in special schools can be successfully implemented. Such programs will help to identify psychological problems at an early stage and provide care for DHH children and adolescents with psychological problems.