Qualitative research in literacy acquisition: A framework for investigating reading in children with language impairment

Abstract

Although much has been published in the literature concerning literacy in children with language impairments, little is known concerning the process that the individual language‐impaired child must go through to become a proficient reader. One reason for this may lie within the focus and rigor dictated by the methodologies typically used in literacy‐related studies. This paper addresses some of the limitations of the available literacy literature among language‐impaired populations and discusses how recent advances in qualitative research hold potential for significant methodological and clinical contributions to our understanding of literacy, specifically reading. A case study is presented demonstrating the usefulness of this methodological approach to describing the process of reading acquisition in a language‐impaired child.

• Language impairment
• qualitative research
• literacy research
• reading difficulties