| Abstract [eng] |
Relevance of the study. Language and literacy skills development issues are important and sensitive areas for deaf children, as deafness may hinder language acquisition and development (Alothman, 2021). The linguistic abilities of deaf and hard-of-hearing children play significant role in their academic achievement, however, research indicates that due to limited access to auditory information and difficulties in the language area, the reading skills of these students often lag behind their hearing peers (Hall et al., 2019; Zhang et al., 2024). According to the latest scientific research, effective collaboration between parents and teachers ensures the consistent development of language and reading skills, in order to provide comprehensive support to students with hearing impairments in their educational process (Bashir et al., 2023). In Lithuania, the importance of parent-teacher collaboration in the process of developing the language and reading skills of children with hearing impairments has still not been sufficiently explored, therefore, this topic is extremely relevant not only in the educational context, but can also become the basis for further scientific research. Research problem – what impact do the language proficiency skills significant for reading abilities among deaf and hard-of-hearing children and the support provided to them have on the development of reading skills in primary education, based on the experiences of teachers and parents? The object of this study – the development of language proficiency skills significant for reading abilities among deaf and hard of hearing primary school-aged children. The aim of the study – based on the experiences of teachers and parents, to reveal the significance of the language proficiency skills of deaf and hard-of-hearing children and the support provided to them for the development of reading skills in primary education. Tasks of the study: 1. To analyse scientific literature on the importance of language proficiency skills of deaf and hard-of-hearing children and the forms of support applied in developing reading skills. 2. To explore teachers’ experiences in applying support measures for the development of language and reading skills of deaf and hard-of-hearing children. 3. To analyse parents’ perspectives on the development of their children's language proficiency skills and their experiences in receiving support in this area. 4. To reveal the importance of parent-teacher collaboration in planning and providing support necessary for the development of children's language and reading skills. Methods of the study – theoretical analysis, qualitative research method, semi-structured interviews, qualitative content analysis was used to analyse the research results. The sample of the study – the study involved 5 teachers working with primary school students with hearing impairments and 4 parents raising at least 1 child with hearing impairment studying in primary school. Results of the research – the findings revealed that both parents and teachers observe weak spoken and written language learning outcomes among primary school students with hearing impairments. Parents' experiences regarding their children's oral and sign language skills are described in relation to the degree of child’s hearing impairment and the language used at home. In the general opinion of parents and teachers, strong vocabulary skills significantly contribute to successful reading development among deaf and hard-of-hearing primary school students. Educators also noted that joint collaboration between parents and teachers helps to identify progress in language and reading skills more quickly in the education of students with hearing impairment at the primary level. Keywords: hearing impairments, language proficiency skills, reading skills, parent-teacher collaboration. |
