The Impact of Dialogic Reading: Facilitating Language Acquisition of Young Children with Hearing Impairments in Taiwan
Open Access
- Author:
- Tsai, Yi-Wen
- Graduate Program:
- Curriculum and Instruction
- Degree:
- Doctor of Philosophy
- Document Type:
- Dissertation
- Date of Defense:
- May 13, 2009
- Committee Members:
- Thomas Daniel Yawkey, Dissertation Advisor/Co-Advisor
Thomas Daniel Yawkey, Committee Member
Ladislaus M Semali, Committee Member
Pamela S Wolfe, Committee Member
Edgar Paul Yoder, Committee Member - Keywords:
- Dialogic Reading
Hearing-Impairemed Children
Language Acquisition - Abstract:
- This study examined the impacts of dialogic storybook reading on the language acquisition of young Taiwanese children with hearing impairments. The study also investigated teachers’ and parents’ attitudes toward the dialogic reading intervention for their hearing-impaired students/children. The intervention was conducted in four small classes at two centers affiliated with a foundation for young children with hearing impairments in Taipei, Taiwan. Sixteen children with moderate to profound hearing loss from the four classes and their class teachers participated in this study. The dialogic reading intervention was implemented by teachers in their classes three times a week, 20–30 minutes each time, for eight weeks. Three standardized assessments were used to identify changes in four language skills—receptive vocabulary, listening comprehension, oral expression, and syntax skills—before and after the dialogic reading intervention with students. In addition, Likert scale questionnaires were also developed to obtain parents’ and teachers’ perceptions of children’s language progress and their attitudes toward the dialogic reading intervention. Study findings showed a positive but not significant change in children’s receptive vocabulary; a marginally significant increase in their oral expression skills; and significant and practical progress in listening comprehension and syntax skills. Questionnaire responses indicated that both parents and teachers perceived moderate to significant language progress among their hearing-impaired students/children. In general, parents had high positive attitudes toward the dialogic reading intervention. Teachers also revealed positive attitudes toward most but not all aspects of the intervention.