Deaf Hispanic/Latino Children's Attention and Language Acquisition: A Longitudinal Study
Author | : Amarilys Galloza-Carrero |
Publisher | : |
Total Pages | : 148 |
Release | : 2018 |
ISBN-10 | : 0438663136 |
ISBN-13 | : 9780438663138 |
Rating | : 4/5 (36 Downloads) |
Book excerpt: "Today, the Hispanic/Latino population is the largest minority group in the United States (Ennis, Rios-Vargas, and Ramirez, 2011). They are also estimated to compose 24.5 percent of the entire deaf/hard of hearing school age population in the United State (Gallaudet Research Institute, 2003). Gerner de Garcia, Morocco, and Aguilar (2005) state, Hispanic/Latino deaf students "cannot afford to be left behind, nor can educators of deaf afford to ignore such a large subset of the deaf school-aged population" (p.4). A study developed by Galloza-Carrero (2015) examined a group of 28 Hispanic/Latino deaf children and 13 Not Hispanic/Latino deaf children's language, attention, and academic skills. The results of the study suggested that a trilingual environment does not negatively impact the intellectual, attentional, or academic skills of these children. When deaf Hispanic/Latino children were compared to Not Hispanic/Latino deaf children, no significant difference was found on language acquisition, attention or pre-academic skills. Nevertheless, in areas related to pre-academic performance, Not Hispanic/Latino deaf children achieved higher scores; in the areas related to language and attention skills, Hispanic/Latino deaf children scored higher. Given these results, it is essential to consider if significant differences will occur at a later point in development. This study evaluated language acquisition and attention of Hispanic/Latino deaf children over a three-year period. The researcher utilized an Exploratory Data Analysis for Longitudinal Data (EDALD) as well as a Multivariate Analysis of Variance (MANOVA), to examine the following research questions: (1) Do developmental trajectories of language acquisition in Hispanic/Latino deaf children differ when compared with the developmental trajectories of a group of Not Hispanic/Latino deaf children using measures administered over a three-year period? and (2) Do developmental trajectories of attention in Hispanic/Latino deaf children differ when compared with the developmental trajectories of a group of Not Hispanic/Latino deaf children using measures administered over a three-year period? The results obtained indicate that language acquisition and attention skills do not significantly differ by ethnicity for the utilized sample. A key element for language acquisition seems to be language exposure and access. Also, the primary mode of communication or instructional intervention might not create a difference in attention skills. The current study has been able to show that ethnicity is not necessarily a fundamental factor, but most likely, the social implications associated with ethnicity. Limitations and future implications of the current research for the field of Hispanic/Latino deaf are discussed." --Abstract