Document Type : Research Paper
Authors
1 M.A student in Linguistics, Faculty of Literature and Humanities, Birjand, Iran
2 Department,, of Linguistics, Faculty of Literature & humanities, Birjand university, Birjand, Iran.
Abstract
Children with hearing impairments face challenges in processing phonemes of words, which hinders their reading and writing skills. The inadequate development of phonemic awareness is due to the inability of children with hearing loss to fully grasp phonemic distinctions. This study examined the effectiveness of a phonological program on the phonemic awareness performance and reading skills of cochlear implant students. The present research was designed as a single-subject A-B study with a one-month follow-up period. The statistical population consisted of cochlear-implant students in Birjand elementary schools, from which four second-grade students were selected as the sample. Phonemic awareness was assessed using the Soleimani and Dashtjerdi (2010) phonemic awareness test and the "Nama" reading test, with three stages of evaluations conducted before the intervention, during the intervention, and in the one-month follow-up period. The intervention involved a 13-session individual training program. The effectiveness of the educational program was determined according to single-subject research analysis methods using descriptive statistics and calculating the percentage of improvement for each subject at multiple baseline points. The findings indicated an increase in the participants' scores during the intervention phase, and stability of the intervention was maintained during the follow-up phase. Consequently, the results showed a positive effect of phonological instruction on the reading skills and phonemic awareness of cochlear implant students. Future collaborative research involving linguists and therapists in the field of hearing impairment is recommended to construct and standardize assessments for various linguistic skills, and reading abilities, as well as to develop educational programs.
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