Time engaged in reading. A critical factor in reading achievement

Area of Science:

• Education
• Deaf Studies
• Linguistics

Background:

• Deaf children's reading achievement can be impacted by hearing loss and language development delays.
• Environmental factors, including the quality and quantity of reading instruction, also significantly influence reading outcomes.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the amount of time deaf children spend reading.
• To analyze teacher interactions during reading instruction for deaf children.
• To compare reading instruction for deaf children with that of hearing children in New Zealand.

Main Methods:

• Observational study of reading instruction in classrooms at a school for deaf children and satellite classes.
• Analysis of time spent on reading activities.
• Categorization of teacher-child interactions during reading lessons.

Main Results:

• Deaf children engaged in very limited amounts of reading time.
• Teacher interactions observed may hinder the development of meaning-based reading skills.
• Significant differences noted in the quantity and quality of reading instruction compared to hearing peers.

Conclusions:

• The reading achievement of deaf children is potentially affected by insufficient reading time and suboptimal instructional interactions.
• Reading instruction for deaf children in the studied setting may not adequately support the development of essential reading skills.
• Further research is warranted to improve reading outcomes for deaf learners.