Deaf Learners Reading in English as a Foreign Language:
Investigating the Possibilities of Development
Jitka Sedláčková
Department of English Language and Literature, Faculty of Education, Masaryk University
Czech Republic
2 Research objectives
3 Background
4 Methodology
transcription into MAXQDA software
open coding
categorizing
emerging themes
Fig. 2 Steps of analysisFig. 1 Qualitative analysis word
cloud
5 Selected results
1 Introduction
The objective is to explore Deaf reading process in EFL and the possibilities
of its development.
References
Afflerbach, P., Pearson, P. D., & Paris, S. G. (2008). Clarifying differences between reading skills
and reading strategies. The Reading Teacher, 61(5), 364–373.
Ganschow, L., Sparks, R., & Javorsky, J. (1998). Foreign language learning difficulties: A historical
perspective. Journal of Learning Disabilities, 31(3), 248–258.
Mayer, C., & Wells, G. (1996). Can the linguistic interdependence theory support a bilingualbicultural
model of literacy education for deaf students? Journal of Deaf Studies and Deaf
Education, 1, 93–107.
McAnally, P. L, Rose, S., & Quigley, S. P. (2007). Reading Practices with Deaf Learners. Austin:
Pro-Ed.
Schirmer, B. R., & Williams, C. (2003). Approaches to teaching reading. In M. Marschark, & P. E.
Spencer (Eds.), Oxford Handbook of Deaf Studies, Language, and Education (pp. 110–122). New
York: OUP.
Spencer, P. E., & Marschark, M. (2010). Evidence-based practice in educating deaf and hard-ofhearing
students. Oxford: OUP.
Fig. 1 used under CC licence from https://medanth.wikispaces.com/Principles+of+Analysis
Emerging Themes Description
Hearing family
Lack of age-appropriate communication in an language; lack of comprehensible
language input; lack of proficient adult sign language models; little or none
common reading; lack of positive early reading experiences; lack of tools for
common reading.
English as a
second foreign
language
Czech sign language (CSL) may not be first but is natural and prefered language;
Czech language does not form a solid base for language learning; reading skills
and strategies acquired in Czech; EFL instruction through Czech; reading in
English through Czech rather than CSL.
Strategy use
Wide range of strategies used; strategy use comparable to hearing readers; some
strategies used inefficiently (e.g. re-reading, connecting to self); use of ineffective
strategies (making associations based on visual or semantic similarity of words).
Reading strategy
instruction
No previous experience with reading strategy instruction; strategy instruction
evaluated positively as something that could be helpful if done over longer term;
accepted passively.
Vocabulary as the
main problem
Vocabulary labelled as the main issue complicating reading comprehension both
in Czech and EFL; no long term strategy for vocabulary development.
Reading for
general idea
Reading as source of information; resigning to general understanding; not looking
for underlying meanings or connections; reading for general understanding applied
ineffectively to various texts and reading aims.
I don’t remember my parents
sitting with me and reading
together. But I remember
well that I read aloud some
parts of a book, probably
under the pressure of my
grandpa.
Why deficiencies [in reading]?
Reasons are simple, because I’
m deaf, Eng is my third
language and in addition I have
reduction of vocabulary.
… reading strategies, which I didn’t know
and do before … to tell the truth I
remember since basic school until now, I
read some text and after look for answers
to questions ...
Always I read in Eng =>
translate into Czech because
text is similar, so I
understand at least a little...
6 Discussion
Author: Jitka Sedláčková, PhD candidate at Department of English, Faculty of Education, Masaryk University; jitkasedlackova@mail.muni.cz
Data
Semi structured interview (biography).
Introspective written verbalization ("think aloud").
Retrospective interview.
Use of English test.
Reading strategy training teacher’s field
during one semester. notes
Introspective written verbalization ("think aloud").
Retrospective interview.
Semistructured interview (evaluation).
Use of English test.
Researcher’s role
Participant longterm observation.
Teacher - student relationship.
Insider as a teacher - outsider as a
hearing person.
Participant “ZAN”
Prelingually Deaf university student;
MA programme in languages and education;
Hearing family; prefers not to use voice.
Self-reported information:
Mother tongue: Czech.
Preferred language: Czech Sign Language.
Czech language level: matura exam; no problems in
everyday usage of its written form.
CSL level: natural, no problems in usage.
English: B2 level according to CEFR; B1 level scored in
the use of English test.
Fig.3 Quote (Hearing family)
Fig.4 Quote (English as 3rd language,
Vocabulary as main problem)
Fig.5 Quote (English as 3rd language)
Fig.6 Quote (Reading strategy instruction)
But is important to read and
understand text content, not to read
word by word, then I don’t get
oriented in the text any longer.
Fig.7 Quote
(Reading for
general idea)
Reading comprehension and print literacy constitute a long-term and critical challenge of deaf education (Spencer & Marschark, 2010).
Mother tongue, first / second / foreign language of Deaf learners: mother tongue can be either the spoken language of the country or the sign language. The preferred language is usually the sign
language. However first reading experience comes in the spoken language of the country. For Czech students English is a foreign language.
Lack of solid first language (L1) base presents a significant hindrance in foreign language learning of Deaf learners both in relation to linguistic knowledge and to skills.
Different modalities of sign and spoken languages prevent straightforward application of L2 language theories (Mayer & Wells, 1996).
Particularly in cases where L1 readers are unsuccessful or at-risk, the instruction of reading in a foreign language cannot rely on a positive transfer of reading skills from L1 and therefore should involve
practices that support the establishment and development of such skills (Ganschow et al., 1998).
Reading strategies are techniques for processing, decoding, and understanding text, which contribute to reaching the aim of reading. Compared to reading skills, strategies are more conscious or can
be made conscious under certain circumstances (Afflerbach, Pearson, & Paris, 2008).
Reading strategy instruction may have a positive effect on reading comprehension both in hearing and Deaf learners (see, e.g., Block, 1986; Duke & Pearson, 2002; Pressley, 2006; Schirmer & Williams.,
2003; Thumann 2006).
The main features related to the case of ZAN’s reading in EFL seem to be
hard work
some inefficiency
reading to get general understanding.
Working hard has helped in overcoming the unfavourable early language and reading
development conditions. Re-reading parts of text and the whole texts, willingness to engage
with the reading strategy instruction also show readiness to work hard.
However, some of the work is inefficient. Reading strategies like re-reading or connecting
information from text to self or background knowledge are used inefficiently and do not result in
improved comprehension. Inefficiency characterizes also dealing with vocabulary knowledge.
ZAN believes weak vocabulary knowledge to be the main cause of reading comprehension
problems, however has not been using effective steps for long-term vocabulary development.
ZAN views explicit reading strategy as interesting during the lessons, however has not been
able to transfer the strategy use into reading outside of the lesson. This may be mainly due to
the insufficient time of the instruction but also because of passive acceptance of information
rather than active engagement with it.
ZAN’s reading aim seems to be understanding the main idea of the text. Whereas this is fine for
some text and some reading purposes it is very limiting in other cases.
The poster presents partial results of a doctoral research
which studies reading of Deaf university students in
English as their foreign language (EFL).
The results concern one case out of a multiple case
study.
Compared to previous research on Deaf reading, my
research focuses on:
❏Young adult readers.
❏Academically successful (i.e. university students).
❏Reading in a foreign language.