The effect of a fluent signing narrator on quality of maternal behavior during E-Book shared reading interactions with their children with hearing loss

Mar Alejandra Bonilla Yanez, University of Texas at El Paso

Abstract

Purpose: The average high school student with hearing loss graduates reading at a 4th grade level. A factor that may contribute to the literacy development in children with typical hearing is language modeling and support surrounding shared book reading. The shared book reading experiences of children with hearing loss (CHL) and their parents may be different in quantity and quality from their peers with typical hearing. There is evidence reporting parental frustration and feeling of incompetence when reading to their CHL due to a sensory mismatch between the child’s and the parent’s mode of communication and skills. This study investigated the effect of a fluent signing narrator (embedded in the Iowa Signing E-Book) on maternal behavior during shared reading interactions between mothers with typical hearing (MTH) and their CHL. Method: In an expansion of Mueller and Hurtig (2009), 50% of total time of each lap reading session of 4 mother-child dyads were analyzed within a single-subject ABABA withdrawal design in which the withdrawal phases included E-Books with no fluent, signing narrator and the treatment phases included the use of E-Books with a fluent, signing narrator. Maternal behaviors were rated using a modified version of the Maternal Behavior Rating Scale (MBRS) (Mahoney, 2008). Results: Three out of four mothers showed patterns in treatment effect in favor of the no-narrator phases of the study. One mother showed a clear pattern in favor of the narrator phases of the study. Behaviors of effectiveness, enjoyment, and directiveness were rated better when the narrator was not present. Behaviors of achievement and praise were rated better when the narrator was present. Discussion: Factors such as maternal attitudes, experience/education, motivation to learn sign language, and willingness to go through parent training could have influenced the results. Implications: The use of technology enhanced shared reading is supported given the positive results on achievement and praise. However, child behaviors should also be taken into account when making recommendations. Future research should encompasses explicit parental training in monitoring and modification of behaviors that contribute to high quality shared reading interactions.

Subject Area

Social research|Speech therapy

Recommended Citation

Bonilla Yanez, Mar Alejandra, "The effect of a fluent signing narrator on quality of maternal behavior during E-Book shared reading interactions with their children with hearing loss" (2016). ETD Collection for University of Texas, El Paso. AAI10118231.
https://scholarworks.utep.edu/dissertations/AAI10118231

Share

COinS