Educating Deaf Children: Language, Cognition, and Learning

Abstract

Decades of research have demonstrated that deaf children generally lag behind hearing peers in terms of academic achievement, and that lags in some areas may never be overcome fully. Hundreds of research and intervention studies have been aimed at improving the situation, but they have resulted in only limited progress. This paper examines cognitive functioning among deaf learners, describing and integrating research that indicates them to differ significantly from hearing learners in ways likely to affect learning. Findings demonstrating that deaf and hearing children differ in domains such as visual-spatial processing, memory, and executive functioning provide directions for both future research and practice. First, however, teachers and other professionals need to recognize that deaf children are not simply hearing children who cannot hear. Only then can teaching methods and materials fully accommodate their strengths and needs.

Keywords:

• deaf education
• memory
• visuospatial processing
• metacognition
• executive functioning
• knowledge organization

Acknowledgements

Portions of this chapter are based on Knoors and Marschark (2012) and Marschark and Hauser (2012).

Notes

This paper is based on a broader discussion focusing specifically on challenges in inclusive education published by the authors as, ‘Sprache, Kognition und Lernen: Herausforderungen der Inklusion für gehörlose und schwerhörige Kinder’ in M. Hintermair (Ed), Inklusion, Ethik und Hörschädigung.

1 Importantly, ‘verbal’ here and elsewhere refers to the use of language, not necessarily spoken language (which is ‘vocal’).

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Marc Marschark

Marc Marschark, PhD, is a Professor at the National Technical Institute for the Deaf, a college of Rochester Institute of Technology, Moray House School of Education at the University of Edinburgh, and the School of Psychology at the University of Aberdeen, Scotland. He is also Director of the Center for Education Research Partnerships at RIT (www.rit.edu/ntid/cerp). Address: National Technical Institute for the Deaf, 52 Lomb Memorial Drive, Rochester, NY 14623 USA, (e-mail: [email protected]).

Harry Knoors

Harry Knoors, PhD, is a Professor in deaf education at the Radboud University Nijmegen, the Netherlands. He is also general Director Knowledge & Innovation at Royal Dutch Kentalis in Sint-Michielsgestel (www.kentalis.com). Address: Royal Dutch Kentalis, Petrus Dondersplein 1, 5271 AA Sint-Michielsgestel, The Netherlands (e-mail [email protected]).