Literacy and Deaf Students in Taiwan: Issues, Practices and Directions for Future Research: Part I
Despite the fact that deaf and hard of hearing (DHH) children have a lack of access to auditory input and phonemic awareness compared to hearing children and low proficiency in sign language, they still learn to read and write (Liu, Liu & Andrews, 2014). This article explores the process on how DHH children acquire literacy skills, and how they utilize sign language to develop literacy skills in the Chinese and English language. It was found the DHH children build on their existing knowledge of sign language regardless of fluency level, to read logographic scripts in Taiwan.
Contextual issues namely island demographics, reading attainment levels, background language learning factors such as cause of deafness and deaf culture, that influence the reading process, are explored. The linguistic features of written English and Chinese that the DHH children are learning are also described. The authors give an account of the history on how the Taiwanese deaf education system was established by the Japanese during the Japanese occupation of Taiwan between 1895 and 1945, and how the push for oralism shaped language policy and planning after the war.
Reference
Liu, H. T., Liu, C. J., & Andrews, J. F. (2014). Literacy and deaf students in Taiwan: Issues, practices and directions for future research: Part I. Deafness & Education International, 16(1), 2-22.
Contextual issues namely island demographics, reading attainment levels, background language learning factors such as cause of deafness and deaf culture, that influence the reading process, are explored. The linguistic features of written English and Chinese that the DHH children are learning are also described. The authors give an account of the history on how the Taiwanese deaf education system was established by the Japanese during the Japanese occupation of Taiwan between 1895 and 1945, and how the push for oralism shaped language policy and planning after the war.
Reference
Liu, H. T., Liu, C. J., & Andrews, J. F. (2014). Literacy and deaf students in Taiwan: Issues, practices and directions for future research: Part I. Deafness & Education International, 16(1), 2-22.
Liu, H. T., Liu, C. J., & Andrews, J. F. (2014). Literacy and deaf students in Taiwan: Issues, practices and directions for future research: Part II. Deafness & Education International, 16(1), 23-36.
| part_ii.pdf |
