Relations between teacher talk characteristics and child language in spoken-language deaf and hard-of-hearing classrooms

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Abstract

Purpose: The aim of this study was to examine relations between teachers’ conversational techniques and language gains made by their deaf and hard-of-hearing students. Specifically, we considered teachers’ reformulations of child utterances, language elicitations, explicit vocabulary and syntax instruction, and wait time. Method: This was an observational, longitudinal study that examined the characteristics of teacher talk in 25 kindergarten through second-grade classrooms of 68 deaf and hard-of-hearing children who used spoken English. Standardized assessments provided measures of child vocabulary and morphosyntax in the fall and spring of a school year. Characteristics of teacher talk were coded from classroom video recordings during the winter of that year. Results: Hierarchical linear modeling indicated that reformulating child statements and explicitly teaching vocabulary were significant predictors of child vocabulary gains across a school year. Explicitly teaching vocabulary also significantly predicted gains in morphosyntax abilities. There were wide individual differences in the teachers’ use of these conversational techniques. Conclusion: Reformulation and explicit vocabulary instruction may be areas where training can help teachers improve, and improvements in the teachers’ talk may benefit their students.

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Duncan, M. K., & Lederberg, A. R. (2018). Relations between teacher talk characteristics and child language in spoken-language deaf and hard-of-hearing classrooms. Journal of Speech, Language, and Hearing Research, 61(12), 2977–2995. https://doi.org/10.1044/2018_JSLHR-L-17-0475

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