FY 2008 Annual Report of Achievements - Gallaudet University

The Guessing Game: The Effect of Morpho-Graphemic Organization on Word
Attack Skills
Status: Completed Begin date: Fall 2007 End date: May 2008
Principal Investigator(s):
Clark, Diane – Educational Foundations and Research
Description:
Many studies have found that phonological awareness is required to become a skilled reader, for
both hearing and deaf individuals. Unfortunately, many deaf readers lag behind their hearing peers, with
the average reading level pinpointed at the fourth grade level. This deficit has often been attributed to
poor phonological skills. In contrast to this deficit view, others suggest that phonological awareness is
not necessary for deaf people to improve their reading efficiency. This study investigated both
phonological awareness skills and morphological skills. To determine if deaf students with higher English
placement levels have better word attack strategies, students responded to a morphological test, where
words with and without morphemes were matched to their definition. Additionally, the project
investigated if English placement levels were related to more accurate responses on a phonological
awareness test. Results showed that phonological awareness was not related to English placement scores.
However, students with higher college entry English scores were more likely to match both high and low
frequency words to their meanings. This finding suggests that phonological awareness is not the sole
route for deaf learners to become skilled readers, but that alternative, visually accessible strategies are
involved.
Funding source: GRI Priority Fund
FY 2007-2008 product(s):
Clark, M.D., Begue, J., Gilbert, G., & Weber, B. (2008, May). The Guessing Game: The effect of morpho-graphemic organization on
word attack skills. Presentation at the annual convention of the Association for Psychological Science, Chicago.
Clark, M.D., Begue, J., Gilbert, G., & Weber, B. (submitted). The Guessing Game: The effect of morpho-graphemic
organization on word attack skills. American Annals of the Deaf.
A-28