Secondary Writing Instruction With Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing Students

• In Event: Research on the Education of Deaf Persons SIG (#95) Paper Session

Abstract

Because students’ writing skills are shaped by quality of instruction, we can learn from what teachers report about their beliefs and approaches. This study explores the state of writing instruction at secondary levels with deaf and hard of hearing students through a mixed methods approach using a sequential explanatory design. Two hundred and twenty-two teachers responded to a survey about writing instruction, and ten teachers participated in follow-up focus groups. The findings indicate that the primary difference between the general and DHH population is the effects of language deprivation, which impacts the preparedness of teachers, as well as the time and focus of their writing instruction. Teachers reported that ASL/English bilingual instruction was the greatest area of need in research.

Authors

• Kimberly Wolbers, University of Tennessee

• Hannah M. Dostal, University of Connecticut

• Leala Holcomb, University of Tennessee, Knoxville