FY 2008 Annual Report of Achievements - Gallaudet University

Early Potential in Young Deaf Children: Supportive Family Contexts Study
National mission priority area: Multiple priority areas
Principal Investigator(s)
Lutz, Lori
Project description
This study focuses on developing an understanding of the multiple and complex family
contexts in relation to young deaf children’s reading development. The purpose of this qualitative
study is to describe the family environments of deaf children who displayed advanced reading skills
at a young age and to examine how those family environment patterns compare with those of
families with deaf children who are still developing readers.
Development
Prior years. This project was approved in January 2006. Since then, several schools enrolling
young deaf children were contacted for permission to contact parents and teachers for participation
in the study. Three schools agreed to participate in the study. Two families and their deaf children’s
teachers from one school participated in the study.
Preliminary data analysis of parent and teacher interview data collected from the first
participating school was begun in early fall 2006. Extensive coding work completed by the principal
investigator and the research assistant resulted in a code book to use and refine coding of additional
interview data from new participants at other schools. Early case descriptions of parents, children,
and teachers were drafted as part of data analysis.
In 2006, the University of Virginia approved a $3,000 fellowship grant to support this study.
FY 2008 activities and/or product(s).
• Family and teacher recruitment activities were completed for three participating schools.
• Interviews were conducted with four parents and six teachers from the three
participating schools.
• Extensive coding work and data analysis were performed on the family and teacher
interviews.
• A report documenting the recruitment processes and early phases of data analysis was
drafted.
• In February 2008, the University of Virginia approved a $1,750 fellowship grant to
support this study.
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