This study compared the test performance of deaf students with deaf parents (DS/DP) and deaf students with hearing parents (DS/HP) in math computation and spelling, two areas which appear to be least related to the development of abstract language. The Math Computation and Spelling subtests of the Stanford Achievement Test were administered to 10 DS/DP and 10 DS/HP (ages 15 to 17) enrolled at the Florida School for the Deaf, all of whom had hearing losses of 70 db or greater in the better ear. Standard scores for both subtests were compared using a dependent t-test. Results indicated that DS/DP performed significantly better on the Spelling subtest (p<.05) than did DS/HP. The difference in performance on the math computation subtest was not statistically significant. These and similar research findings are discussed in light of the suggestion that parenting practices of deaf parents may contribute to the higher achievement levels of their children. Practices cited include acceptance of the child's deafness, time devoted to parenting, provision of a role model leading to higher self-esteem for the child, and amount of communication between parent and child. (JW)
Authors
- Peer Reviewed
- F
- Publication Type
- Reports - Research
- Published in
- United States of America
