Examining the Emergent Literacy Experiences of a Preschool Child with Hearing Loss

Abstract

The aim of this qualitative case study is to understand a five year old hearing impaired child’s emergent literacy activities and behaviors. It is also included others in the child’s inner circle in order to examine literacy experiences entirely. Participants are the child, five year old hearing impairment with cochlear implant, his parents and his special educationalist live in İzmir, Turkey. Research data have been gathered in the child’s house intensively though, the research environment has expanded in line with the daily routines of the child and his family. Data have been collected through participant observations, unstructured and semi-structured interviews, products and pictures for six weeks. The collected data were analyzed both inductively and descriptively. In addition, the emergent literacy skills of the child were assessed with the help of the Emergent Literacy Skills Control List. Results showed that a hearing impaired child has emergent literacy skills of his age in print knowledge, alphabetical knowledge and phonological awareness. He has experienced reading aloud and tale routines, functional reading activities, free and interactional play activities. His early literacy activities are in his daily routines and also they are influenced his mother’s literacy habits. As a result of the research, it can be said that the hearing loss child with early literacy experiences shows similar literary behaviors to his hearing age.