Profiles of emergent literacy skills among preschool children who are at risk for academic difficulties

The purpose of this study was to explore patterns of within-group variability in the emergent literacy skills of preschoolers who are at risk for academic difficulties. We used the person-centered approach of cluster analysis to identify profiles of emergent literacy skills, taking into account both oral language and code-related skills. Participants were 492 preschoolers (aged 42-60 months) enrolled in needs-based programs. In the fall of the academic year, children were administered eight measures of emergent literacy: four oral language measures (i.e., expressive and receptive grammar, expressive and receptive vocabulary) and four code-related measures (i.e., print concepts, alphabet knowledge, name writing, and rhyme). Controlling for age, hierarchical-agglomerative and K-means cluster analysis procedures were employed. Five psychometrically sound profiles emerged: highest emergent literacy (prevalence = 14%); three profiles with average oral language and differential code-related abilities (16%, 24%; 23%); and lowest oral language with broad code-related weaknesses (23%). Profiles were then compared on midyear teacher ratings of emergent literacy as well as end-of-kindergarten literacy performance; results provided convergent evidence of predictive validity. This study highlights the considerable heterogeneity of emergent literacy abilities within an “at-risk” group. The resulting profiles have theoretical and practical relevance when examining both concurrent relationships between oral language and code-related skills as well as longitudinal relationships between early patterns of performance and later reading achievement.     

Healthy families of children who are deaf

Families provide the building blocks for the development of healthy, happy, competent children. The purpose of the present study was to identify and interview healthy families of children who were deaf. The researchers were interested in identifying factors that contribute to families' health as well as in collecting suggestions for other families with children who are deaf and for professionals in the field of deaf education. Nineteen families, all nominated by deaf education professionals, were interviewed. The interviews were transcribed and coded, and responses to each interview question were grouped under recurring themes. A summary of the results, limitations of the study, suggestions for future research, and recommendations for practice are provided.     

Emergent literacy of deaf children

This article reviews the literature on emergent literacy in young deaf children, focusing on the nature and course of both emergent reading and emergent writing. Beginning with definitions and background information concerning emergent literacy as a field of study, it examines instructional approaches that support emergent literacy learning. The review of the literature is organized into four major sections that reflect the body of work to date. The article concludes with an eye toward the future of emergent literacy in pedagogy, theory, and research.     

Inquiry-based science instruction and performance literacy for students who are deaf or hard of hearing

Deaf and hard of hearing students, who cannot successfully access and utilize information in print, experience various difficulties in conventional science instruction, which heavily relies on lectures and textbooks. The purpose of the present review is threefold. First, an overview of inquiry-based science instruction reform, including the so-ciohistorical forces behind the movement, is presented. Then, the author examines the empirical research on science education for students who are deaf or hard of hearing from the 1970s to the present and identifies and rates inquiry-based practice. After discussing the difficulty of using science texts with deaf and hard of hearing students, the author introduces a conceptual framework that integrates inquiry-based instruction and the construct of performance literacy. She suggests that this integration should enable students who are deaf or hard of hearing to access the general education curriculum.     

The literacy environment of preschool classrooms: contributions to children's emergent literacy growth

This study examined the relations among features of the classroom physical literacy environment (book materials, literacy area and writing materials) and psychological literacy environment (instructional support), and preschool children's gains in two areas of emergent literacy over an academic year. Results showed that features of the physical literacy environment had little direct association with children's gains in emergent literacy, with the exception of quality of literacy area being a positive and significant predictor of children's gains in alphabet knowledge (but not name‐writing ability). Rather, the physical and psychological literacy environment seem to be interdependent, particularly with respect to provision of writing materials. Specifically, presence of writing materials is positively and significantly associated with children's growth in alphabet knowledge and name‐writing ability only within the context of high‐quality, instructionally supportive classrooms. Educational implications are discussed.     

Mental health services for people who are deaf

The issue of mental health services available to adults and children in the United States who are deaf is addressed. Included is a historical perspective on the changes in these services over the last 50 years. Within this scope, the current status of services is described in some detail. Psychological research on children who are deaf is reviewed, and current issues faced by school psychology and psychologists who evaluate deaf children in school settings are examined. The disturbing current trend toward the criminalization of people with mental illness, which affects both hearing and deaf adults with psychiatric diagnoses, is covered. Suggestions are made for improving mental health services for children and adults who are deaf.     

Effectiveness of multimedia reading materials when used with children who are deaf

The purpose of the study was to assess the relative effectiveness of print, sign, and pictures in the transfer of reading-related information to children who are deaf. By means of personal computers, deaf children were presented CD-ROM-generated stories in four different formats: print only, print plus pictures, print plus sign language, and print plus pictures plus sign. A repeated-measure design was used to analyze participants' reading comprehension performance. Significant differences were found among the four presentation options. One observed phenomenon was that participants would switch from American Sign Language to Signed English when analyzing text. The study findings suggest that presenting stories on CD-ROM with multiple modes of reading cues, such as print, pictures, and sign language, may be an enjoyable and interesting supplement to standard reading practices.     

Development of literacy skills for Japanese deaf and hard-of-hearing children

We compared the reading development of 77 deaf and hard-of-hearing (DHH) Japanese children, aged 5–7 (40 females), with 139 of their hearing peers (74 females) in 2018. We assessed each group's phonological awareness (PA), grammar, vocabulary, and reading of hiragana (Japanese orthography children learn first). DHH children showed significant delays in grammar and vocabulary but only a slight delay in PA. Younger DHH children scored better than their hearing peers in reading. Although PA predicted reading for hearing children, reading predicted PA for DHH children. PA partially explained grammar skills for both groups. The results suggest educational intervention for reading acquisition should be based on not only general linguistic features but also each language's unique characteristics.     

A model of home learning environment and social risk factors in relation to children's emergent literacy and social outcomes

The quality of the home environment is widely recognized as a strong contributor to young children's emergent literacy and social competence and to their subsequent educational success. The present study examined the relationships between family variables (socioeconomic status (SES), social risk factors, and home learning variables) and children's emergent literacy competence and children's social functioning. The sample for this study was obtained by randomly selecting 48 classrooms within three Head Start programs and, then, randomly selecting five girls and five boys from each class. The final sample consisted of 325 families for which information about both child and primary caregiver was obtained from multiple sources (teacher, outside assessor, and primary caregiver). A mediational model was hypothesized and tested using structural equation modeling. The findings are consistent with the hypotheses that family social risk and home learning experiences mediate the association between SES and Head Start children's school readiness in the areas of emergent literacy competence and social functioning.     

Metacognition and reading in children who are deaf: a review of the research

The purpose of this article is to review and synthesize the literature linking metacognition and reading in children who are deaf. Although this body of research is sparse, three issues emerge. First, the research implies that current instructional practices used to teach reading to deaf children might actually hinder their development of mature metacognitive knowledge and control. Second, the studies suggest that the low-level reading material typically given to deaf children might not provide the opportunity for them to develop, practice, or use metacognitive strategies. And third, the research shows that deaf students can benefit from metacognitive strategy instruction.     

Family supports and resources for parents of children who are deaf or hard of hearing

The study examined family supports after identification of children's hearing loss. On a questionnaire, 456 respondents rated the importance of different aspects of family support, the quality of supports they experienced, and their preferences about informational resources. They verified the importance of informational resources, social-emotional support, and educational advocacy. Families expressed a preference for discussion with other parents of children with hearing loss over discussion with parents of children without hearing loss. The quality of support was rated higher by parents of children with cochlear implants than by parents of children with hearing aids. Top-ranked sources of support included individual professionals and service providers, other parents of children with hearing loss, family support organizations, and grandparents and extended-family members. Open-ended written responses indicated that parents desired additional opportunities to connect with mentors, role models, and other parents.     

Gender differences in response to auditory-verbal intervention in children who are deaf or hard of hearing

Recent research has questioned the role of gender in language development and in special education outcomes, yet neither issue has been addressed in literature on students who are deaf or hard of hearing. To determine if language and placement outcomes differ by gender, the present study considered the behavior of children who attended a clinical program subscribing to an auditory-verbal philosophy. Parents of 28 boys and 42 girls with hearing losses evaluated their children using the Parent Rating Scale of the Leiter International Performance Scale--Revised (Roid & Miller, 1997) and the Parental View of Therapy Scale (developed for the present study). Also, clinical file data were surveyed. The boys were found to be more likely than the girls to be rated by their parents as having basic features of temperament nonconducive to traditional clinical language intervention. The girls' language and placement outcomes surpassed the boys', although both groups' outcomes were positive. A possible limitation of the study was that the population was atypical of students with hearing losses in general.     

An evaluation of two emergent literacy screening tools for preschool children

Children’s reading success in early elementary school can be predicted from their emergent literacy skills. Consequently, there has been an increased focus on early childhood education as a means of identifying children at risk for later reading difficulty. Because diagnostic measures are impractical for this use, emergent literacy screening tools have been developed. In this study, 176 preschool children ranging in age from 42 to 55 months were administered the Revised Get Ready to Read! (GRTR-R), the Individual Growth and Development Indicators (IGDIs), and a diagnostic measure at two time points. Results indicated that GRTR-R either matched or outperformed IGDIs in terms of test–retest reliability and concurrent validity.     

Adapted interactive writing instruction with kindergarten children who are deaf or hard of hearing

The study describes an adapted form of interactive writing (McCarrier, Pinnell, & Fountas, 2000) and examines its effectiveness as an approach to beginning writing instruction for young children who are deaf or hard of hearing. Systematic videotape analysis was used to document the content of 45 adapted interactive writing lessons across an academic year. Findings of the study suggest that interactive writing has the potential to support early writing development in young deaf and hard of hearing children, if supplemented by techniques that make the phonology of English visible.     

The relationship between home literacy practices and developmental trajectories of emergent literacy and conventional literacy skills for Korean children

Previous studies with English-speaking families in the North American context demonstrated that home literacy practices have positive influences on children’s literacy acquisition. The present study expands previous studies by examining how home literacy practices are related to growth trajectories of emergent literacy skills (i.e., vocabulary, letter-name knowledge, and phonological awareness) and conventional literacy skills (i.e., word reading, pseudoword reading, and spelling), and by using data from Korean children and families (N = 192). The study revealed two dimensions of home literacy practices, home reading and parent teaching. Frequent reading at home was positively associated with children’s emergent literacy skills as well as conventional literacy skills in Korean. However, children whose parents reported more frequent teaching tended to have low scores in their phonological awareness, vocabulary, word reading and pseudoword reading after accounting for home reading. These results suggest a bidirectional relationship between home literacy practices, parent teaching in particular, and children’s literacy skills such that parents adjust their teaching in response to their child’s literacy acquisition. Furthermore, cultural variation in views on parent teaching may explain these results.