Chapter 5: Findings
Given the choice of playing with blocks, trucks, and dolls or the option to read, draw, or write, why would the preschool hearing-impaired children in this study choose to engage in literacy events? Why would literacy be central in the school lives of these children? Why would they value reading, drawing, and writing activities above all other activities? These questions have evolved through analyses of the data from this study. For the children observed in this research, literacy and literacy-related activities, both structured and unstructured, constituted important work. The value the children placed on literacy events was observed not only by me, but also by their teacher, Cathy, the aide, Eileen, and Laura, the speech pathologist. Throughout the year, Cathy, Eileen, and Laura would notice and comment on the children’s determination, enthusiasm, and energy while engaged in literacy events. The excerpts below highlight some of the observations and remarks made by them during the period of data collection.
Excerpt from Field Notes (2/1/90, 9:20 A.M.):
David, Michael, and Jeffrey were writing in my notebook at such a rapid and frenzied pace that Eileen decided to make paper and crayons available to them at the table. As she did, she commented, “They see you write all the time so they probably think ‘She does it all the time, so it must be important.’”
Excerpt from Field Notes (1/26/90, 10:20 A.M.):
The children started snack and David tried to write in my notebook. I told him he could write after he ate. He proceeded to quickly eat one cracker with peanut butter and gulp down a cup of milk and then took my pencil and notebook. Eileen, noticing how anxious David was to write, commented that the children didn’t even want snack and only wanted to write.
Excerpt from Field Notes (2/12/90, 10:15 A.M.):
Jeffrey refused to work on speech with Laura today. Laura remarked that Jeffrey only wanted to read and she could not lure him away from his book. She commented, “If I take the book away he won’t work, but if I let him have it, he sits on the book and won’t do speech either. He doesn’t even care if I take away his happy face. He only wants to go on with his reading.”
Excerpt from Field Notes (3/8/90, 9:35 A.M.):
Cathy was working with the children (David, Michael, Jeffrey, and Darrell) on a cloze story about cowboys. The children had to find missing words on the chart (e.g., A cowboy rides a ______.). They were all very willing to do this activity and Laura, while observing the children’s reactions to the activity, commented, “They really enjoy the charts.”
Excerpt from Field Notes (3/27/90, 12:30 P.M.):
Jon went to the bookcase during free play time and took a book for me to read to him. We looked at the book for several minutes and Jon went to get a second book. Cathy called him over to the table to talk about the birthday party his mom had for him over the weekend. Jon, however, was more interested in his book. After a minute or two, Cathy realized that Jon’s attention was focused on his book and not on the conversation and she remarked, “…and you’re not interested. Go read your book with Claire.”
Excerpt from Field Notes (3/28/90, 10:55 A.M.):
Cathy placed a large alphabet chart on the floor and called Darrell over. In seconds, all of the children were around the chart and Cathy remarked to me, “It’s amazing, Claire, how I don’t have to say a word.”
Based on analyses of the data, several assertions can be made about the children's literate behaviors and the importance they placed on literacy events:
1. The children could distinguish between literacy and non-literacy events and they often placed a higher value on literacy events.
2. Literacy served important functions for the children.
3. The children made decisions that affected their literacy learning.
4. The children approached literacy learning as serious and intense work.
5. The children related literacy events to other activities.
These assertions are not mutually exclusive; there is overlap within each assertion and across assertions. However, in the next pages, these assertions will be treated separately with comments and examples included to better explain the overlaps and connections among them.