Pilot study to evaluate an integrated phonics and language programme for the teaching of reading to deaf and hearing children

This integrated programme should lead to high levels of reading, crucial to academic attainment and longer-term integration into society.

Researchers will train and support classroom teachers to deliver the programme during the first 2 years of primary education. We will recruit deaf children from 4 hearing-impaired units attached to mainstream schools and their hearing classmates. Using a randomized control design, half the schools will implement the integrated programme for 2 years while the remainder continues with standard literacy teaching, receiving the integrated programme at end of study. All children will be assessed before the start of the programme, at end of first year, end of second year and after the programme has finished to investigate maintenance of language and literacy gains.

External project members include, Ros Herman, City University (PI) and Fiona Kyle and Penny Roy, City University