LITERACY DEVELOPMENT OF DEAF STUDENTS: THE INFLUENCE OF ENVIRONMENTAL FACTORS

Authors

K. Brooke Harding, Brigham Young University
Dr. Mark W. Tanner, Brigham Young University

Keywords

literacy development, deaf students, environmental factors, linguistic and cognitive development

College

Humanities

Department

Linguistics and English Language

Abstract

Learning to read and write plays a significant role in children’s linguistic and cognitive development. The development of reading skills is a natural process in a home where literacy is emphasized and children are surrounded by print.1 However, the acquisition of literacy is not an easy task for all children because it requires complex coordination of various capabilities.2 Deaf people in particular face immense linguistic, social, and emotional obstacles in learning to read and write. (The term deaf is used in this report to denote both deaf and hard-of-hearing individuals). According to standardized reading assessments, most deaf high school graduates read at roughly a third or fourth grade level.3

Recommended Citation

Harding, K. Brooke and Tanner, Dr. Mark W. (2013) "LITERACY DEVELOPMENT OF DEAF STUDENTS: THE INFLUENCE OF ENVIRONMENTAL FACTORS," Journal of Undergraduate Research: Vol. 2013: Iss. 1, Article 902.
Available at: https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/jur/vol2013/iss1/902