Comparing Deaf/Hard-of-Hearing Children's Oral Narratives Using Movies and Static Books

Area of Science:

• Linguistics
• Developmental Psychology
• Special Education

Background:

• Narrative sampling is crucial for assessing language skills.
• Selecting appropriate narrative techniques is vital for deaf/hard of hearing (DHH) children.
• Visual aids and different contexts (e.g., books, movies) can influence narrative production.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare narrative outcomes in DHH children using story generation and retelling tasks.
• To investigate the impact of book versus movie contexts on narrative elements.
• To inform best practices for narrative assessment in DHH populations.

Main Methods:

• A comparative observational study involving 21 DHH children.
• Utilized story generation and retelling tasks.
• Employed both book and movie contexts for stimulus presentation.

Main Results:

• Microstructural narrative elements were largely similar between book and movie conditions, except for mean length of utterance.
• Differences in word choice, including action verb usage, were observed.
• Macrostructural story grammar elements did not significantly differ, but movies potentially improved inclusion of characters, settings, plot, and actions due to visual engagement.

Conclusions:

• Narrative assessment for DHH children requires careful consideration of techniques and contexts.
• Visual media like movies may offer advantages in eliciting richer narrative content.
• Technology plays a significant role in expanding assessment options for DHH children.