Implications of a Sight Word Intervention for Deaf Students

Area of Science:

• Education
• Linguistics
• Psychology

Background:

• Deaf students often face challenges in literacy development.
• Effective interventions are crucial for improving reading skills in this population.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the effectiveness of a specific sight word intervention for Deaf students.
• To assess improvements in sight word identification and reading fluency.

Main Methods:

• A pretest/posttest design was employed with 30 Deaf students (grades 1-7).
• The intervention lasted 8 months.
• Data were collected using the Cumulative Bedrock Literacy Sight Word Assessment and the Test of Silent Word Reading Fluency.

Main Results:

• Participants demonstrated a significant increase in the number of sight words identified postintervention.
• Younger students exhibited a faster rate of sight word vocabulary growth compared to older students.
• No significant differences were found based on home language or gender.

Conclusions:

• The sight word intervention is effective in enhancing literacy skills for Deaf students.
• Age is a factor in the rate of sight word acquisition.
• Further research and program application are recommended.