Examining the emergent literacy experiences of a child with hearing loss

The aim of this qualitative case study is to understand a five year old hearing impaired child's emergent literacy activities and behaviors with his family literacy context. It is also included others in the child's inner circle in order to examine literacy experiences entirely. Participants are the child, five year old hearing impairment with CI, his parents and his special educationalist live in İzmir, Turkey. Research data have been gathered in the child's house intensively though, the research environment has expanded in line with the daily routines of the child and his family. Data have been collected through participant observations, videotape recordings, interviews, products and pictures for six weeks. The collected data were analyzed both inductively and descriptively. Results showed that a hearing impaired child has emergent literacy skills of his age in print knowledge, alphabetical knowledge and phonological awareness. He has experienced reading aloud and tale routines, functional reading activities, free and interactional play activities. His early literacy activities are in his daily routines and also they are influenced his mother's literacy habits. Activities that the mother has done to support the oral language development of the child also support his emergent literacy skills. Keywords: Emergent literacy, Hearing loss, Early literacy, Family literacy.