Literacy and signing deaf students: a multi-national scoping review.

Area of Science:

• Deaf Education
• Literacy Development
• Multilingualism

Background:

• Existing literature reviews in deaf education predominantly focus on U.S. or English-speaking contexts.
• Research from non-English-speaking, multilingual settings is crucial for understanding diverse literacy acquisition pathways in deaf learners.

Purpose of the Study:

• To systematically review literature on literacy development in deaf learners conducted outside of English-speaking contexts.
• To explore research published in English, Portuguese, or Spanish concerning literacy in deaf individuals from diverse linguistic backgrounds.

Main Methods:

• Systematic literature search of studies on deaf literacy development.
• Inclusion criteria focused on research conducted outside English-speaking countries and published in English, Portuguese, or Spanish.
• Analysis of identified articles to extract key findings on reading, writing, and language acquisition.

Main Results:

• A total of 22 articles met the inclusion criteria: 13 in English and 9 in Portuguese. No Spanish articles were identified.
• Key insights were gleaned regarding the reading process, including subskill instruction, writing pedagogy, early literacy experiences, and the connection between signed languages and literacy.
• The review highlights the importance of multilingualism in deaf education and the need for asset-driven approaches.

Conclusions:

• Research from non-English-speaking contexts significantly contributes to understanding deaf literacy development in multilingual settings.
• There is a need for more research, particularly in Spanish, and a call for utilizing multiple evidence sources.
• An asset-driven approach is valuable for comprehending the capabilities and progress of deaf learners in diverse linguistic environments.