Reading Achievement in Relation to Phonological Coding and Awareness in Deaf Readers: A Meta-analysis

Abstract

The relation between reading ability and phonological coding and awareness (PCA) skills in individuals who are severely and profoundly deaf was investigated with a meta-analysis. From an initial set of 230 relevant publications, 57 studies were analyzed that experimentally tested PCA skills in 2,078 deaf participants. Half of the studies found statistically significant evidence for PCA skills and half did not. A subset of 25 studies also tested reading proficiency and showed a wide range of effect sizes. Overall PCA skills predicted 11% of the variance in reading proficiency in the deaf participants. Other possible modulating factors, such as task type and reading grade level, did not explain the remaining variance. In 7 studies where it was measured, language ability predicted 35% of the variance in reading proficiency. These meta-analytic results indicate that PCA skills are a low to moderate predictor of reading achievement in deaf individuals and that other factors, most notably language ability, have a greater influence on reading development, as has been found to be the case in the hearing population.

Research Methods in Studying Reading and Literacy Development in Deaf Children Who Sign

“…To date there has only been one metaanalysis of the research investigating deaf children's reading (Mayberry et al, 2011). …”

“…This finding is important as it suggests that deaf children's phonological awareness skills develop as a consequence of learning to read rather than being a precursor of reading ability as is typically found in hearing children (see also Musselman, 2000;Goldin-Meadow & Mayberry, 2001). Moreover, a very recent meta-analysis of the relationship between phonological skills and reading (Mayberry, del Giudice & Lieberman, 2011) concluded there is little consistent evidence of the role of phonology in deaf individuals' reading.…”

The Challenge of Learning to Read Written English for the Profoundly Pre-lingually Deaf Adult

“…In line with this finding is evidence from a meta-analysis (Mayberry, del Giudice & Lieberman 2010) that experimentally tested for phonological awareness and coding among severely and profoundly deaf readers. Only 50% of the studies found the evidence for the use of phonological knowledge to be statistically significant.…”

“…The challenge of reading and understanding written text is seen by some as being linked to their profound hearing loss, language difficulties and some instructional practices (Clark et al 2016, Herrera-Fernandez, PuenteFerreras & Alvarado-Izquierdo 2014, Paul 2002. Profoundly deaf childrens' literacy skills generally lag behind their hearing peers (Rudner et al 2015) and so a reading delay of six to eight years is not unexpected by the time they graduate high school (Mayberry, del Giudice & Lieberman 2010). Even at tertiary institutions, the average equivalent reading level is only at about the eighth grade (Bochner & Walter 2004), a fact of particular importance as literacy development for both deaf and hearing students is seen as critical for academic and workplace advancement (Furlonger & Rickards 2011, Zin, Wong & Rafik-Galea 2014.…”

Signs for Developing Reading : Sign Language and Reading Development in Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing Children

“…The wide age range reflects the variability in the degree of difficulty DHH pupils experience in learning to read (Lederberg et al, 2013;Mayberry, del Giudice, & Lieberman, 2011;Trezek et al, 2011). Eleven used technical aids and thus had at least some access to speech: five used only HA (four bilateral); five used only CI (four bilateral) and one had a CI on one ear and a HA on the other.…”