Vocabulary Instruction for the Development of American Sign Language in Deaf Children

• In Event: Critical Issues in Deaf Education

Abstract

Despite the importance of teaching vocabulary for young deaf children, there are very few investigations on this topic (Luckner & Cooke, 2010). Therefore, this study examines the nature of vocabulary instruction by four early childhood teachers of deaf children from two classrooms through a qualitative collective case study. Findings indicated that an instructional framework designed for spoken language, the Four-Part Vocabulary Program (Graves, 2006), could account for the nature of vocabulary instruction in these classrooms; however, within this framework teachers used qualitatively different language strategies to address the unique aspects of teaching a visual language. Furthermore, there was interplay of teacher knowledge about learners, curricula, and pedagogy that informed teachers’ instructional planning and decision-making.

Author

• Lianna Pizzo, University of Massachusetts - Boston